The Vacation
by gibbsrossi
Summary: It's vacation time for the Leverage team. As usual though, Nate has managed to find trouble, along with Sophie. The rest of the team are going to have to scramble to rescue them in time. TeamFic with the usual N/S
1. Chapter 1

**This story is for Stellaru…thank you for your suggestion…I modified it a bit but I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 1

It was the perfect day at sea. The waters were calm and the sun shone brightly. Sophie lay stretched out on the deck a bright yellow sun hat shading her as she read her book. Every now and then she would look up at Nate who stood at the wheel of the boat enjoying the morning breeze as he steered it towards their next destination. They had been at sea now for a week and were headed for their next port of call. When it had been decided that they needed some downtime after their last job, which had not gone as smoothly as it should have, Nate had suggested this sailing trip. Sophie had protested saying that a trip to Paris or Prague or anywhere other than on a sail boat was more preferable. She had eventually capitulated though, and now seven days into the trip, she did not regret it. Actually she was quite pleased she had agreed. Not only were they visiting the beautiful cities along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, with lots of shopping and romantic dinners, she also had Nate all to herself. It was perfect, no interruptions, no distractions, just the two of them alone with each other. Besides which she thought ruefully to herself, she would go with him to the ends of the earth if that was what he wanted. She looked up again straight into his blue eyes and melted at the adoration she saw in them and blushed slightly at the blatant lust there too.

"Shouldn't you be concentrating on are you are going?" She asked him slyly.

"I am…" He smiled at her and after securing the rudder made his way over to her. "You know you really are a beautiful woman." He said huskily as he leaned in and kissed her gently.

"Why Mr. Ford…flattery will get you everywhere." Pulling him down to her and kissing him passionately.

"So…aren't you happy you decided to come with me?" He asked playfully moving a stray strand of hair behind her ear and kissing her gently again.

"Actually yes…Surprising I know." She said seeing the smirk on his face at her words. "You were right, it is peaceful out here. Besides…I have you all to myself…" She said smiling as she kissed him again.

"Mmm…and what are you going to do with me Ms. Devereaux…?" He whispered kissing her gently on her forehead and then her nose and then finally her lips again.

"Oh…I guess I will think of something…" Sophie said seductively as she pushed him back onto the deck and leaned over him.

Nate smiled into her kiss and pulled her close. Running his hand up her back and then through her hair. Sophie leaned into him as he reached for the clip of her bikini top.

"Wait Nate…who is that…?" She asked seeing a motor boat headed towards them at some speed.

Nate sat up and looked out to see what Sophie was talking about. There was actually more than one boat headed towards them and Nate got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. As the boats drew closer he knew there was something definitely wrong. There were about five people on each of the speeding boats and they were definitely headed directly for them.

"Sophie get below. Get dressed and get on the radio. Make it look natural, like we haven't really noticed them."

"Nate, what is it…what's wrong." Sophie said suddenly frightened by the tone of his voice.

"I don't know Sophie, but I don't think it is good. Whatever happens just don't resist them." Nate said his eyes had not left the approaching vessels and now could see that all of the people on board were armed with rifles. "Just get on the radio and tell them that we have company…I think it's pirates. Make sure you give them a location ok…then come up as if you did not know what was happening. I will try to buy you some time…" Nate said keeping his voice calm.

"Nate…"

"Please Sophie just do it…go now." He said turning to her and kissing her softly. He knew that the approaching people had eyes on them and needed them to believe that they were not alarmed by their presence.

"Nate…just be here when I come back up ok…" She whispered to him afraid that when she returned to the deck after doing what he had told her too she would find him dead.

"Just go now Sophie…Please." He replied squeezing her hand then watching her go down into the cabin. He turned to face the oncoming boats and took a deep breath. So much for a peaceful vacation he thought.

**Well that's the start of my new story. I hope you are all going to enjoy it. Please let me know what you think of the premise. I love receiving reviews…they inspire me to continue with the story. Please leave me your thoughts and comments and anything else you want to let me know. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Eliot had decided that a peaceful vacation was in order this time. He had rented a remote cabin and intended on spending his month off fishing peacefully. It had been a week now and he was sitting on the banks of the river waiting patiently for a bite. He had a beer in one hand and a book in another. His cellphone lay in the cabin, there was no reception in this area anyway and if anybody needed him, well they would just have to find another way of solving their problem. Besides if there was a genuine emergency, he knew that Hardison would track him down in a minute. It had been a tough last few months, and after the last job, where they had barely come out alive, well he needed some peace and quiet.

Parker and Hardison had stayed at the microbrewery. Hardison had said that he needed to keep an eye on things and besides which this would give him a chance to improve his brewing skills. He was determined to have a brew that Eliot approved of before this vacation was through. Parker did not want to go anywhere without him so decided to stay and help. One week into their 'vacation' and Hardison was going nuts with Parker's help. He wished that they had not decided on such a long off period. Just that morning he had decided to tell Parker that perhaps they did need a little getaway, maybe just a week or so. They were at the bar discussing possible places to visit when Hardison received the call that would end their vacation plans.

Nate watched as they were boarded. He knew that trying to resist would just get him and Sophie killed. The men rushed up and onto the boat pointing their guns at him and screaming at him in what sounded like Arabic but he could not be sure. One of them then put his rifle butt into Nate's stomach causing him to double over from the blow. He held his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender and tried to make them understand that he did not understand what they were saying. Just then Sophie made her way back up to the deck. She saw Nate on his knees his face twisted in pain from the second blow that had been placed to his abdomen.

"Nate…" She called out and ignoring the men surrounding her ran over to him falling to her knees by his side.

The men advanced again and pulled Sophie up and away from Nate. He protested and was rewarded again by a blow. This time it was to his head which felled him instantly leaving him lying prone on the deck. Sophie called his name again and tried to pull away from the hands holding her. A deep voice broke through the shouting brining instant calm and making the men leave her and back away. She had no idea who had spoken and turned to see who the man in charge was. He was a tall man obviously of Arabian decent. He had short cropped black hair and he was dressed in battle fatigue. He approached Sophie slowly surveying her from head to foot and the look in his eye was one Sophie recognized and feared. He stopped directly in front of her, stretching out his hand he grabbed her face and held it keeping her eyes focused on him. Sophie did not fight him. She stared back at him fiercely.

"A…how do you say…feisty one?" The tall man said with a small smile on his lips. "We shall see how long that lasts…" He laughed before releasing her and turning towards the still unconscious Nate. He walked over to him and using his foot turned him over onto his back. Sophie could see the trickle of blood that oozed from the cut in his head where the rifle had struck.

"Leave him alone…" Sophie said her voice filled with acid.

The man took another look at Nate's still form then stood upright and turned towards the Grifter.

"Who are you…names…?" The man asked her.

"I am Sophie Ford and that is my husband Nathan…" She answered automatically. It was better they think they were married. These were pirates and they were after ransom, if they believed they were married then they would keep them together in order to get a payment.

"Please he is hurt." She said plaintively. It was also better that they appear frightened and weak. She had already shown defiance and needed to back down slightly.

"Where is the safe?" He asked ignoring her plea.

"Down below…please I will take you to it just let me see to Nate." She said

"Take me to it now." He said grabbing Sophie's arm and steering her down into the cabin.

They emerged a few minutes later. The man pushed Sophie onto the deck in front of him and said something to one of the other men. They grabbed Sophie again and pulled her away and onto one of the motorboats. She shouted at them and fought them not wanting to leave Nate. For a brief moment she was overwhelmed with fear at the thought that they might kill Nate and only take her. The thought made her fight harder and beg them to let her stay with him.

"Please we will give you anything you want…please just let me be with Nate." She begged her fear for Nate taking precedence over all other.

The tall man smiled at her, it was a slimy, insidious smile that turned her stomach. He turned to another man and said something to him. The man then approached Nate and lifting him easily from the deck, threw him unceremoniously over his shoulder following Sophie and her captors onto the pirate vessel. Sophie was shoved into a little cabin and Nate's unconscious body followed her, he hit the deck with a loud thud as the man dropped him to the floor. Then he and the others retreated locking the cabin door behind them. Sophie immediately moved to Nate's side and checked him for other injuries. Standing she lifted his hands and pulled him to the side of the room. Then she took a seat with her back against the wall and placed Nate's head on her lap. She checked his head and saw that the wound had stopped oozing and the blood was now drying out. Thankfully the cut was not deep but he would have a terrible bruise later. She ran her fingers through his hair gently and sat back closing her eyes.

Nate came back to consciousness with a start. His first thought was of Sophie. He sat up and looked at her ignoring the searing pain that shot through his head at the sudden and violent movement.

"Are you ok…" He asked her anxiously. He could not see any damage and relief rushed through him as she answered.

"Better than you…" She said, then seeing the concern on his face put his mind at ease. "They did not do anything to me."

"Oh thank God…" Nate said running his hand over his face and wincing slightly. He had a headache from hell and he felt as if he had been kicked in the head by a mule.

"Are you ok…?" Sophie whispered as she noticed his grimace. "That was quite a shot to the head you took."

"Fine, just a little headache…"

"I told them that we were married, I thought it would be better if they thought that, for both of us." She informed him, knowing he was in a lot more pain than he wanted to let on.

Nate smiled at her despite their situation. "Good thinking Mrs. Ford…"

Sophie smiled back. "I also sent out the message. They said they were sending people. Oh and I tried to get Eliot but his phone was off…I didn't have time to get through to Hardison." She said giving him the rundown of the events preceding her return to the deck.

"Ok…well hopefully the authorities will contact Hardison when they figure out what's happened. I left both him and Eliot as contacts with the Charter Company."

"Where do you think they are taking us?"

"I don't know Soph…probably to their base. I would guess off the coast of Libya or maybe Tunisia or Egypt. We will just have to wait and see. For now we do nothing though…" He said as he scooted up and sat next to her pulling her into him. "We just play along, two frightened tourists…" He said as he ran his hand through her long dark hair. "We will decide what to do once we know the full set up." He finished and kissed her forehead. He knew that none of the countries he had mentioned were the best place for two American's to be taken hostage. He hoped that the authorities contacted Hardison soon. He would get hold of Eliot and they would be after them. Of that he was sure. He just had to keep both himself and Sophie alive until then.

"What do you think their next move will be?" Sophie asked interrupting his thoughts.

"Probably be down here to ask us who to contact for ransom."

"Well at least we will be sure they contact Hardison then…" Sophie smiled at him.

"Yeah…probably be quicker than the authorities." Nate replied.

"Nate…these guys…the leader, I don't like the look of him, he is…I just don't like vibe I get from him."

Nate looked at her with a frown. Sophie could read people better than anybody he knew and she was afraid of this leader whoever he was. That thought frightened him too even though he had not met the man.

"Yeah Soph I know…but they want money first and foremost." Nate said as he contemplated what he knew of the pirates that operated around the world. There had not been any abductions in the Med for a long time so he had nothing to reference. Somali pirates operated differently. They would just have to see what happened. Maybe they would get lucky and not have to make a break for it. If it seemed as if these guys were not going to harm them, merely keep them as hostages then he was content to let them. At least until the ransom was paid, he knew that Eliot would be around before then though. If however he got any sense that this was not just a kidnapping and that they were more than likely to end up dead…or worse, well that was different. He would start making plans as if that were the case so that when an opportunity presented itself, they could go. The problem is he would have to wait to see where they were taking them; that would be the determining factor to their course of action. Sophie's voice cut into his thoughts as she leaned into him more, huddling close.

"Mmm going on the run through some godforsaken country with a bunch of pirate cutthroats after us…you do know how to show a girl a good time." Sophie said solemnly.

"I aim to please…Besides you know we have our very own Retrieval Specialist on the payroll…" Nate smiled and kissed her softly.

"Yes…we have an Eliot…" She smiled at the thought, burrowing in closer to Nate. Eliot would get to them and until he arrived, Nate would have a plan to keep them safe, she was sure.

Nate knew Sophie was frightened, he could feel it in the way she was clinging to him. He also knew she trusted him implicitly and was probably consoling herself with the thought that he would have a plan to keep them safe. He soothed her by keeping his hand running gently through her hair as he looked around the small cabin surveying what there was and deciding if any of it could be useful. The cabin however was basically bare; there was nothing he could see that could hold any value to them. He tried to focus his mind on other things, not what these people could do to them. He had heard that sometimes these pirates kept their victims for extended periods of time, and they were not gentle with them. He rested his head against the top of Sophie's and closed his eyes. The thought of what they could do to Sophie sent a shiver of fear down his spine. _Over my dead body_, he promised himself.

**Thank you for all the reviews of the first chapter, they are really appreciated. I hope that the story does not disappoint you all… I look forward to reading your reviews on this one. Please send me your comments and thoughts; they are all really and truly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Yeah Nate…" Hardison answered his phone seeing he caller ID and wondering why Nate was calling him in the middle of his romantic sail trip with Sophie.

"Is this Alec Hardison?" The voice on the other side of the phone asked.

"Who is this…?" Hardison said his demeanor changing from totally relaxed to tense and concerned.

"That is not important right now Mr. Hardison. I have Mr. and Mrs. Ford here with me. If you wish to get them back then you will arrange to have two million dollars dropped at the coordinates I will send to you. I will give you one week to organize this. Do you understand?"

"I want to speak to them…I want proof of life." Hardison said trying to hide the fear in his voice and automatically doing what he knew Eliot would, make sure they were still alive and make sure this guy really had them.

"If you decide not to obey these instructions then I will be forced to kill your friends."

"I want proof of life before I do anything…" Hardison said his voice firm despite the quivering he felt inside. His demand was met with silence. Hardison closed his eyes and waited. He needed to know that they were alive.

"Hardison…" Sophie's voice drifted over the phone.

"Oh thank God Sophie…are you and Nate alright?"

"We are fine for now Hardison; just do what he tells you too."

"Sophie…Sophie…"

"Now you know they are alive. The coordinates will be sent to you in due course. You have one week." The voice said and then the line went dead.

"Hardison…" Parker asked him softly. "Where are Nate and Sophie, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. That was…I don't know who that was but he has them and he wants two million in a week to let them go." Hardison said as he grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the back of the restaurant. "We need to find Eliot now."

"They've been kidnapped?" Parker said incredulously. "How…?"

"I don't know Parker." Hardison said as he attacked his computer pulling up the signal from Eliot's phone. "Get some stuff together we will be leaving now." Hardison said and started to gather the electronic stuff he would need.

"OK." Parker said disappearing to their crash pad to get a bag together. She did not question Hardison any further. Sensing his desperation and urgency.

Within twenty minutes they were out the door and in Lucile headed for the remote cabin Hardison had traced Eliot to. It was going to be a long drive and they had no time to waste.

"Pirates, they've been kidnapped by pirates?" Parker repeated as Hardison explained what he thought had happened to Nate and Sophie.

"I think so Parker, it is the only explanation. They don't usually operate in the Med but there have been some recent cases." Hardison told her.

"How did those work out?"

"Not well for the hostages…" Hardison said ominously. The sooner they got to Eliot, the sooner they could get after Nate and Sophie. He was sure that Nate was not going to just wait for them to pay the ransom. No if he knew Nate, he was going to try to get away from his captors and that was only going to lead to trouble. They had used Nate's cell phone to make the call and Hardison was sure that these guys were not tech geniuses, he would be able to trace the call and get the location. The only thing was he was nearly one hundred percent sure that Nate and Sophie would not be there when they arrived, or if they were…He did not want to think what they would find if Nate tried to escape and failed.

"Why don't I drive?" Parker asked a sudden urgency in her voice. Hardison look over at her and saw the concern on her face. "I mean, you could trace Nate's phone then while I get us to Eliot." Parker added.

Hardison thought about it for a minute then pulled Lucile over to the side of the road. Parker drove like a maniac at the best of times, but now was not the time to hold that against her. She needed to be doing something and he was willing to endure it for her sake. Besides, they needed to get their fast and he could, as she said, trace Nate's phone amongst other things, during the drive. He knew if she did not have something to do the trip was going to be unbearable anyway. As soon as the van stopped Parker was out the door and around to the driver's side. Hardison moved over to the passenger side and took out his laptop ready to get busy.

"Thanks Alec…" Parker said softly. She knew he hated her driving.

"Just drive girl, get us to Eliot." Hardison said leaning over and giving her a gentle kiss. Parker nodded and the van took off at a speed Hardison had not thought Lucille was capable of.

The remainder of the trip was spent in near silence. Hardison tracked Nate's phone to a general location off the coast of Libya. He confirmed the location by using the tracking devices he had put in both Nate and Sophie's watches. The signals matched and they remained stationary. He then moved on to arranging a flight for them to Tripoli. After a frustrating time he gave up on trying to arrange transport when they were there, they would have to organizing that on arriving. He had wanted everything to be ready and in place by the time they collected Eliot, but he was sure he could get them transport immediately on arrival. They had no time to lose he realized as he did some research on piracy and what generally happened to the victims of it. What he found did not alleviate his fears, in fact if anything it managed to drive up his anxiety levels. Parker sensed his distress and when she did glance at him she saw that he had gone pale and that he was close to complete panic stations. She reached out her hand and laid it gently on his leg squeezing softly.

"We'll get them back." It was all she needed to say and Hardison nodded to her trying to calm his breathing down as he turned back to his computer with renewed efforts.

It was approaching evening when Parker pulled the van up next to the lone car parked at the end of the road.

"Ok…the cabin is a mile and a half up the path." Hardison told her as he exited the van. He did not bother taking anything with him; they were not going to be staying.

"Let's go…" Parker said jumping out of Lucille and starting up the path at a fast pace with Hardison hard on her heels.

The cabin appeared completely deserted as they approached.

"Eliot…it's us." Parker called out. She did not want the man going all attack mode on them.

"What the hell…?" Eliot said as he ghosted from the shadows in front of them. "I'm on VACATION!"

"No time to talk Eliot…let's get your things, we need to get going." Hardison said passing the Hitter and heading into the cabin. Eliot raised his eyebrow at Parker; he had not seen Hardison this stressed out in a long time.

"Nate and Sophie have been taken." She said simply then followed Hardison into the cabin.

Eliot stared after her his mind working overtime. "Taken…taken…as in kidnapped…?" He asked as he followed her into the cabin. Dammit can't Nate even go on vacation without getting himself into damn trouble, he thought to himself.

"Ok Hardison, let's have it." Is what he said as he started gathering his things together.

"I don't know much Eliot. I got a call this morning from some guy claiming he had Nate and Sophie. He demanded two million dollars to be dropped at a designated place in one week. He let me speak to Sophie… she said that Nate and her are fine." Hardison drew a deep breath before continuing, the tone in his voice telling Eliot that he did not believe a word Sophie had said. They used Nate's phone to make the call. I traced the phone to an enclave off the coast of Libya and confirmed the location with the tracking devices in Nate's watch. I checked the radio traffic from shipping in the Med and got a recording of Sophie's radio signal, it seems they were boarded by pirates. That's all I know." Hardison summed up the situation as clearly and as quickly as he could for the Hitter. This was Eliot's field and he was going to give him everything he needed to get Nate and Sophie back alive and hopefully unharmed. "I have a charter ready for us to get to Tripoli. I was not able to secure transport there, but I will when we land." He added.

"Good. Ok, let's go." Eliot said slinging his bag over his shoulder and heading for the door. He wanted to get going as soon as possible. He needed to get to Nate and Sophie in quick time. Pirates would not hesitate to kill and the longer they took the more danger to the two of them.

"What about the ransom money." He asked as they almost jogged down the little path towards the waiting van.

"Arranged, just waiting for the coordinates to be sent."

"Ok…Parker you drive." Eliot said as they arrived at the van. "Hardison I need more details, location, timing of the attack, response from the authorities… everything you got…" Eliot told the Hacker as they entered the van and Parker made quick work of getting it moving.

Hardison looked up at the Hitter, he smiled to himself and thought that if the pirates could have seen the look on Eliot's face just then, they would have immediately released both Nate and Sophie with heartfelt apologies.

**Thanks to everybody for your great reviews…I am really very encouraged by them. I am glad you are enjoying the story up to now. Please let me know what you think of this chapter...all your comments and thoughts are taken to heart and greatly appreciated. Thanks again for everybody who has taken the time to leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

By the time they had cleared customs Hardison had a fully equipped vehicle ready for them. It was an old army Land Rover that would be able to handle the type of terrain they would be covering to get to the little enclave that Hardison had identified. Hardison checked his laptop again as they waited for Eliot to arrive back. The tracker in Nate's phone and watch had not moved since he had last checked. They were still definitely there. Eliot arrived back carrying a large bag and putting it in the back of the vehicle he told them to climb in they were leaving. Eliot took the wheel and they set out. The area they were headed to was very remote and there were practically no roads after they left the town of Misrata. From Misrata it was only about twenty five miles to their destination but the going was slow and tedious with the terrain slowing there progress to a snail's pace.

Eliot looked over at his two friends as they pulled up next to a large rocky outcrop and parked the car. He could see the apprehension on Hardison's face, he was not used to this kind of physical danger, but he could also see the determination there. He would do whatever was needed and Eliot knew that. Parker looked worried but not scared, she too was ready willing and able to do anything needed to get their friends, their family back.

"We walk from here." He told them as he lifting the bag out of the back of the car and opened it. Inside were a multitude of weapons, including a rifle. Hardison just looked at Eliot but said nothing. Parker did not even seem to notice as she went about gathering what she would need for the expedition. Before he had left Tripoli Eliot had called on some associates of a friend to get the equipment he would need. Although he avoided using such things he was not naive enough to believe that they may not need them on this occasion. He had picked up a gun before to save Nate and he knew he would do it again, and worse, to save him and Sophie this time. They were a family and he was prepared to do whatever it took to secure their freedom and their safety.

Eliot had his sheathed knives in their holsters as usual and to that he added a hip holster that held a handgun. He also slung a small bag over his shoulder along with a rifle. Parker had a bag full with medical equipment in case it was needed and Hardison had a bag with his electronics in. Eliot led the way as they set out on foot towards their destination which was another two miles up the coast.

They approached the pirate's location stealthfully keeping low to the ground. Hardison checked his equipment and whispered to Eliot that he had only seven heat signals from the location. Three of them were coming from the little building standing to the left of where the three boats were docked. Two appeared to be patrolling the area and two were on the charter boat that belonged to Nate. Eliot acknowledged the information as he surveyed the area with his binoculars.

"Ok…I'm going in. You two stay here until I give the all clear." He told them and before they could even voice their dissent he told them that he did not need the distraction of having to worry about them as well while he was neutralizing the threats. The two then nodded their agreement and watched the Hitter move off and blend into the landscape.

Eliot decided that his best approach was to eliminate the two patrolling guards first. Then he would neutralize the three in the building leaving just the two on the boat. Although he would like to believe that the two heat signals on the boat belonged to Nate and Sophie he could not be sure. He did not like the fact that there were so few people here. If they were holding hostages then there should be more. Besides which this was more of a way station and not a home base. Moving silently Eliot focused entirely on the job. Noiselessly he took out the two guards before making his way to the little building. It was a windowless hut and the door was shut. He could hear voices from inside and none of them sounded even remotely like Nate's or Sophie's. He opened the little bag he had brought with and removed a small smoke bomb. Then he stood in front of the door and taking a deep breath he yanked the door open and delivered the smoke bomb simultaneously. He followed the device in and swiftly and quietly neutralized the three surprised pirates who were having a meal inside. Eliot then turned and exited the building after checking that there was not further threat from inside. As he exited the building, the two heat signals from the boat emerged onto the deck. They were most definitely not Nate and Sophie. The two pirates immediately noticed Eliot and started to raise their weapons shouting out at him. Eliot dived to his left to avoid the hail of bullets he knew was going to follow and drew his weapon from the holster in the same move. However no bullets where forthcoming, in fact there was complete silence. Standing, he dusted himself off and walked toward the boat.

"I thought I told you two to stay put?" He growled at Hardison. Parker was nowhere to be seen.

"A simple thank you would do nicely…" Hardison replied smiling at him.

"They aren't here…" Parker added as she reappeared from below decks, to where she had disappeared directly after taking out her guard. "But this is definitely their boat." She added holding up Nate's cellphone and waving is gently to emphasis her words.

"Yeah and that is Nate's watch." Hardison said as he lifted the unconscious pirates arm and removed the object in question.

Eliot said nothing. He surveyed the deck of the boat and his eyes rested briefly on the blood spatter he saw to the one side. He did not want to think who that blood had belonged to.

"Where do you think they took them?" Parker asked as she moved to stand beside Hardison looking out at the bleak, desolate landscape surrounding them.

"I don't know Parker…but maybe, if we ask nicely, one of these guys will tell us." Eliot replied his voice was hard and determined, he was not about to ask nicely.

Parker and Hardison secured six of the guards, who were now starting to regain their senses, in the little building, while Eliot took one of them onto the boat and down into the cabin. He did not have to tell Parker and Hardison not to follow them. About a half hour later Eliot emerged, minus the pirate, and told them to get their stuff together, they were going. Neither one asked him what had happened. They did not care what Eliot had had to do to get information as long as he did. They gathered the equipment and set out after Eliot, towards where they had left their vehicle.

"He said they have a place on the banks of a small oasis outside of Krarim. It's about sixty miles from here. That's where they have taken Nate and Sophie." Eliot told them.

"Both of them…" Parker asked hesitantly. Eliot understood what she was asking and nodded.

"Yeah Parker, they both left here alive." He replied. That was almost two days ago and he hoped to hell they were both still alive, although he did not voice that particular fear.

**Thank you all so very, very much for your reviews. I am very happy that you are all enjoying the story. The next chapter I will let you all know what is happening with Sophie and Nate. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. I look forward to receiving all of your thoughts and comments.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nate estimated it had been about six hours since they had been placed into the little cabin. The pirates had taken all Sophie's jewelery, their watches and their cellphones. Nate had checked the cabin out and his first survey had proved correct there was nothing in the place that they would possibly find useful. He was not surprised. These guys were no amateurs and they would never put them into a place where they could get their hands on anything that they could use to attack them or to escape.

"Nate…stop pacing, you are making me nervous." Sophie said as she watched him cross the cabin for the hundredth time.

"Sorry…I just don't know what they are waiting for...We've been docked for at least what…three hours?" Nate said moving toward her. He was trying to figure out the pirates' next move. He assumed they wanted ransom but after being put in the little cabin they had had no contact with them. He had expected them to ask for details on whom to call for a ransom demand. Maybe they were taking into consideration the time difference between here, wherever here was, and the US…he did not like not knowing what was going on. Nate sighed as he took his seat beside Sophie on the floor; he could really use a drink round about now he thought to himself. Suddenly the door to the cabin was thrown open and one of the pirates motioned to them to get up and move out of the room. As they passed him he stuck the barrel of his rifle into Nate's back and pushed him along. Nate did not resist, he reached down and took Sophie's hand as they were taken up onto deck. There they were immediately surrounded by a group of the pirates and faced with the leader. Nate took the man in in one glance and decided that Sophie was right. This was not a good man and his intensions were not at all honorable.

Nate was asked who to contact for ransom and he gave them Hardison's details. His phone was then used to call him. They both heard the demand of two million dollars and the time period given before delivery was expected. When Sophie was pushed forward by one of the guards and handed the phone Nate assumed that Hardison had requested proof of life. After the call was ended the leader turned to them and barked some orders. Two of the group then grabbed Nate and Sophie's hands roughly and pulled them behind their backs to tie them up.

"Mr. Ford…" The leader said as the men finished their task. "I must warn you that trying to escape would not be advisable. You will follow all orders I give without question, if you resist you will be punished." The man spoke near perfect English. Nate estimated he had a slight British lilt to his voice which indicated he had been educated there. "You are to be my guests until your ransom has been paid. If you comply with all instructions and behave, we will not have a problem. Do you understand?" Nate nodded his understanding. The man smiled at him and nodded to one of his men who sank his fist into Nate's kidneys doubling him over with pain. "Do you understand Mr. Ford…?" He asked again.

"I understand…" Nate said through gritted teeth.

"That is good because I would hate to have to cause you physical harm…" He turned to look at Sophie and then moved forward to stand directly in front of her. "Especially to such a beautiful woman..." He said as he lifted his hand to her face.

Sophie tried to pull away from him and Nate, seeing the man reaching for her tried to move himself between him and her. He was stopped in his tracks by a blow to his solar plexus and then another which would have dropped him to the deck but for the burly pirate who grabbed him and held him upright. Then at a nod from the leader another joined in and the beating continued. Blow after blow was landed to Nate's body and face as the two pounded on him mercilessly.

"Stop..." Sophie cried out in horror. "Please stop…we will do whatever you say…just please leave him alone…" Sophie said looking directly into the eyes of the leader. He laughed at her and then with a nod the beating stopped and Nate's badly beaten body was released to drop onto the deck.

"Mr. Ford…you will learn that any resistance will be met with punishment. To you and your beautiful wife. Let this be your first lesson, the next one will not be as gentle." He said then turned to Sophie, his eyes raking her body and sending shivers of fear down her spine.

He then barked out some more orders and Nate was roughly lifted up onto his feet again and they were taken off the boat to a waiting army truck. They were told to get onto the truck and move to the back. Sophie was helped onto the truck and moved to the back and then Nate was roughly thrown in and shown to take a seat beside her. Then two of the pirates joined them in the back and after a few minutes the truck started moving.

"Nate are you ok…?" Sophie asked as the truck went over a small bump causing Nate to hiss with pain.

"Fine…you?" Nate replied grimacing slightly as the truck rambled on over the rough terrain.

"I'm not the one who just got the stuffing knocked out of him." Sophie said looking him over with concerned eyes. He had cuts on his face and his left eye was already swelling up. She knew he had suffered some serious blows to his body. She could see that he was forcibly taking shallow breaths which told her he probably had a few cracked ribs.

"Soph, really, I'm ok…" He said softly. There was nothing he could do about his injuries and nothing she could do either.

"Ok…" Sophie said shifting closer to him so that she could feel his body against hers. "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know. One thing I do know is we have to get away. This guy has no intention of letting us go, with or without a ransom, and I don't think he is planning on keeping me around for much longer than necessary, probably just until they have confirmation of the ramson drop." The implication of what he thought he was going to do with Sophie hung in the air ominously. "I don't think we can wait for Eliot and the rest to get here. With the time difference it is about what… eight in the morning in Portland? Hardison will still have to trace Eliot and then hopefully get here. When they do, we won't be here. He left the phone with one of the others and they've got our watches so…"

"So Hardison has nothing to track us with anymore…" Sophie said dejectedly as she realized what Nate was getting at. She also knew that Nate was probably right in his assesment of the leaders intentions with them.

"Right…we are going to have to take the first chance we get to make a break for it. Then we hope they find us by some way or the other."

Silence followed Nate's words. Then he turned slightly so that he was looking into Sophie's eyes.

"I'm sorry Soph…" He said softly.

"This is not your fault Nate…"

"Maybe not…but if I had not insisted on this particular vacation…"

"Nate, you listen to me. This is not your fault and I went along with the idea remember. Just concentrate on getting us out of this and keeping us in one piece until Eliot and the others find us…" She said gently. He looked at her with a look that said 'if they find us' "They will find us Nate…one way or another." Sophie said with conviction, she knew that Eliot would do everything in his power to get to them and with Hardison and Parker helping they would find them, it was just a question of time. She knew Nate was feeling guilty, but he had no reason to. He could not have predicted this would happen; in fact the chances of it happen were so remote as to be ridiculous. What he needed to do now was find a way out of this situation for them.

"Ok…OK…don't worry, we'll get out of this Soph, I swear I'll find a way to get us out." Nate said with a crooked smile sensing her desperation and trying to set her mind at ease a little. Getting them out of there though was not going to be easy. Firstly he had no idea where they were. He had no idea where they were going and more than that he was not in any condition to go on the run. Not only did the beating he took do some damage and moving at speed was not going to be easy for him. He also realized that he was already suffering from mild withdrawal symptoms and they were going to get worse before getting better. Nate was nothing if not a realist. They also could not just go on the run as it were. They were in the middle of a desert and would need at least water to make an escape viable, otherwise it was just plain suicide. He doubted that the pirates' main base would be anywhere near to a town or city so they would have to be prepared to travel some distance through scorching temperatures during the day and then brave the night cold. The desert was not exactly a very forgiving environment. The one thing that he knew for sure was that no matter what, he had to get Sophie away from that man and as soon as possible. He had seen the look in his eye and the fear in Sophie's as she recognized his lust. He would get Sophie out and give her a chance of escape, even if it was the last thing he did.

**I want to thank you all again for taking the time to review. I absolutely love getting feedback on the story and appreciate every single one. Please keep them coming. **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The truck pulled up inside a compound of sorts. It was a group of tents spaced out in a semi-circle and situated on the banks of a small pond. There were some trees scattered around. It was a typical small oasis in the middle of a barren dry land. To the one side away from the tents was a small hut. It had no windows and one door. This is where Nate and Sophie were taken to and pushed inside. The only things inside the hut were two sleeping mats. Nate and Sophie's hands were untied before they were put inside the hut and the door closed and locked. The heat inside was tremendous. The air was thick and humid. Airflow into the hut was limited to the small holes at the base of the tin roof of the building. The hut would be unbearably hot in the day and very cold at night. It was definitely not going to be a pleasant stay. Hopefully, Nate thought to himself, they would not be staying long.

"I don't know about you Mr. Ford but I am not very happy with the accommodation." Sophie said also taking in all aspects of their home for the foreseeable future.

"Yeah…do you think they have room service?" Nate replied. He would give anything for a drink.

Sophie looked over at him knowing he was going to go through hell in the next few hours and there was nothing she could do to stop it. He looked terrible. The left side of his face was swollen, his left eye almost completely swollen shut. His clothes were filthy and dried blood crusted his cheeks and the area between his lip and his nose. His eyes were haunted with need and fear.

"Nate, come over here and sit down, I want to have a look at you." Sophie said pulling one of the mats out and placing it flush against the wall.

Nate did not argue he simply moved over and sat down on the mat. He was feeling week and sore. He knew that he had a few cracked ribs and he could also feel that there was some internal damage done with the beating. Sophie sat down beside him and started unbuttoning his shirt, as the last button came undone, she pulled it open exposing his midriff and chest. She could see dark bruising all over his abdomen. He also had bruising on his chest area. He probably had more than one cracked or broken rib she thought as she ran her hand gently over him.

"Oh Nate…" She whispered as she surveyed the damage.

"You should see the other guy…" Nate smiled at her trying to lighten the mood. He pulled her too him and held her close. Sophie wanted to wrap her arms around him and squeeze him tightly but resisted. She tentatively held him and then lifted her face to his kissing him gently.

Nate pulled away from her and re-buttoned his shirt. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes momentarily.

"So…?" He asked his eyes still closed.

"Well I could see four tents. There were at least six guards patrolling but there is no wall or even wire. Probably don't need them, nowhere really to run is there?" She said as she thought about the place they found themselves in. "I assume the tent to the left and closest to the water is his. It is slightly bigger than the others and more ornate." Sophie said sitting down beside him. "Behind the main tents there is a small building and I think it may be where they keep their fuel because there are a lot of tire tracks leading to and from."

Nate opened his eyes and looked at the woman sitting beside him. He was amazed at how much she had taken in from the short walk they had made from the truck to their present location. He smiled slightly at her and nodded.

"Ok…well they are all carrying AK-47's along with holstered weapons on their hips. There are two guards outside this hut, who stand either side of the door." Sophie looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a how the hell do you know that…look on her face. "Scuff marks and cigarette butts…" He said in reply to her silent question. "The well is on the outskirts of the encampment and there are a few water bags hanging there…we will need at least one each of those when we go. Apart from the truck there are two other vehicles in the compound, a jeep which is parked at the back of the compound and another one parked next to the big tent to the right. I'm guessing that is the mess tent. The terrain around seems a lot more rocky and less desert…that could be good for us." Nate said as he expounded on his own observations.

"Speaking of a mess tent, do you think they are going to feed us?" Sophie asked her stomach starting to feel like her throat had been slit.

"Possibly but I'm not sure we will approve of the menu." Nate said, the last thing on his mind was food, but they had not eaten since the previous evening. They had not made breakfast before they were boarded and he knew they had to have something in the stomachs before they made their move. Then their conversation came to a halt as they heard the lock being turned on the door. "Maybe this is room service now." Nate said standing stiffly and with a little effort. Sophie also stood and moved to his side waiting to see what was going to happen next.

The door was flung open and the big guard who had participated in Nate's beating entered. He looked at Nate first and for a second he thought he was about to get another taste of the big man's fist but then the man turned to Sophie.

"You…come…" he said and emphasized his instructions with the movement of his rifle.

Sophie looked at Nate fear shining in her eyes.

"You…come…" He said again and reached for Sophie's arm pulling her towards the door. Nate made a move to stop him but the big man turned his rifle towards him and pushed the barrel into his stomach. "You…stay." He said as he pushed Sophie out the door. Nate was about to take his chances and go for the man when Sophie spoke.

"It will be ok Nate…please." She said stopping him in his tracks. She was more afraid of what the big man would do to him if he tried to stop him than anything else. Nate looked into her eyes and she saw the fear for her in them. "I'll be fine...I promise." She said as the man followed her out of the hut and then shut and locked the door again.

Nate stared at the closed door after they had left and let out a breath followed by a few choice expletives. He moved back to the mat and sat down resting his head back against the wall he closed his eyes. He had to come up with a plan now…he had to get them out of there.

Sophie was ushered towards the large tent she had identified as the leaders. Once there the guard stopped and motioned for her to enter alone. She took a breath and then walked in. As she entered the tent she was surprised by the luxurious interior. There were plush cushions scattered around and the floor was lined with soft carpets. It was cool and inviting and really quite beautiful. He was standing waiting for her as she entered.

"Ah…the very beautiful Mrs. Ford…" He said as he approached her and taking her hand he kissed it gently. Sophie did not try to resist. She could do this she thought, she had worked with worse men than this before. Perhaps if she ingratiated herself with this man, it would go better for Nate, and that was her priority now.

"Please call me Sophie…" She said lightly.

"Sophie…a beautiful name for a beautiful woman…" He smiled at her. "I am Ben…now come… sit…" He indicated some of the very soft and comfortable looking pillows scattered around a low table that was laden with different foods. "I thought perhaps we could share a meal together."

Sophie surveyed the table and the sight of the food made her stomach growl.

"What about my husband…?" She asked not moving from her position.

"Ah…he will be taken care of." The man said his voice suddenly going hard. "Please sit." This time it was more of an instruction than an invitation. Sophie did as she was bid and Ben sat down opposite her his eyes never leaving her. He was obviously completely enthralled by her. Sophie was not unused to this kind of reaction from men and decided that she could use this to their benefit. Besides if she did not play along she knew that he would take it out on Nate.

"You speak English very well…Ben." Sophie said as she took a handful of grapes and popped one into her mouth the sweet juice soothing her parched mouth.

"I was educated in Britain…my father insisted. You are British Sophie?"

"Yes, but I live in America now with my husband."

"Ah yes, your husband and what does your husband do?"

Sophie thought about the question for a minute before answering.

"He is the head of a business that helps people who are in trouble." She answered keeping her response vague.

"I see…and you Sophie, what is it that you do?"

"I work with him." Sophie replied. "And you Ben…you are a pirate by profession?" Sophie asked her voice conveying her distaste.

"I dabble in many things Sophie." The man said smiling at her. "Piracy is just one of them."

"Well it seems to pay well…you have a very nice setup here."

"Yes, I do live comfortably…but it is a lonely life. My only company those uneducated rabble that serve me…I long for companionship from an intelligent woman…" He said his eyes boring into her.

Sophie squirmed a little under his gaze. He was being very direct and the implication was obvious that he wanted her company.

"I could make such a woman very comfortable, give her a good life. Offer her anything her heart desired. All she would have to do in return is give herself to me completely."

"Well I hope you find one then. I am sure there are many women out there who would like to share all of this with you." Sophie replied deliberately turning her eyes away from him. She had played many men in her life and recognized that this was one of them that you did not play with. This was the type of man you stayed away from. Sophie had been Grifting for a long time and knew the signs of a man who would not take no for an answer, one that would eventually take what he wanted and that thought scared her. She needed to get back to Nate and they needed to get out of here and soon.

"Perhaps you would care to take a bath…" Ben asked as they finished their meal.

"No…I mean I would rather get back to my husband." Sophie replied.

"Mmmm." Ben said as he watched her stand from the table. "Very well, back to your husband then." He too stood and took Sophie's hand again. "I have really enjoyed our time together this evening Sophie…" He said as he kissed her hand again sending shivers of disgust through Sophie. "Perhaps we could share a meal together again." He smiled at her walking her to the entrance of his tent.

There they were met by the burly pirate again who escorted her to back to the little hut. She could feel Ben's eyes following her all the way. The door was opened and she was ushered inside. It was now dark and the little hut was shrouded in blackness. The door was once again shut and locked. Nate was slumped against the wall, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. He was obviously not awake. She approached him and sat down next to him as he stirred slightly. Even in the dim light she could see that his pallor had gone paler and he had a thin sheen of sweat covering his face. His features were contorted with pain.

"Nate…" She whispered to him as he opened his eyes.

"Sophie…" He said sitting up and grimacing in pain at the movement. "Are you alright?"

"Fine…" She said helping him to move back to sit upright against the wall. "I brought you some food." She told him taking out the few scraps she had managed to get off the table and into her pockets during the meal.

"Thanks..." He whispered. "I'm not very hungry." His voice was weak and shaky.

"I know Nate but you need to eat something. He said he was going to give you something…did he?" She asked looking around the room for any sign of food or drink.

"Over there…" Nate indicated a tin plate with a stale piece of bread on it and some kind of meat, both drowning in a slimy looking broth. "It did not look very appetizing, so I declined." Nate looked up at her. "What did he want?"

"Oh just to have a meal with me…" Sophie said softly.

"Soph…"

"Do you have a plan yet?" Sophie asked changing the subject.

"Working on it…" Nate replied.

"Well work fast Nate…this 'Ben'…"

"Ben?"

"That's what he said his name was. He is…well…"

"I get it Soph…" He said gently taking her hand in his.

His hand was cold to the touch and Sophie could feel a slight shake as he held her. He was in withdrawal from the alcohol…this was going to be a long night.

"Ok…well let's get some rest shall we." She said setting herself down beside him. "You need to lie down Nate and get some sleep."

"So do you…"

"I'm fine for now…at least I have a full stomach and I am fully hydrated. You on the other hand have had very little to eat and nothing to drink, you've had the crap beaten out of you and you are going through withdrawal. Now don't argue with me Nate…please just lie down and try to get some sleep." She finished softly.

Nate did not reply he just shimmied down and put his head on her lap. Sophie automatically started to stroke his hair and put her head back against the wall closing her eyes and fighting the tears of fear away. She could feel Nate's whole body shivering as the cool night air infiltrated the room brining some relief from the heat of the day. She knew though that the shivering was not as a result of the cold air. Nate had curled himself up into a semi-fetal position and had wrapped his arms around his body. Eventually he drifted off into a restless sleep. Sophie kept stroking his hair soothingly until she too succumbed to the welcome abyss of sleep.

**Things are not looking too good for Nate and Sophie at this stage. What plan do you think Nate could come up with? They seem to be pretty much stuck where they are. How do you think Eliot and the rest are getting on? Thank you all for your great reviews, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate them all. Please leave your comments and thoughts on this chapter. I truly appreciate the time you take to review the story it really does inspire me to carry on.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was a restless night for Nate and Sophie. Nate would wake periodically shivering violently. His skin was clammy and he was sweating profusely despite the coldness of the hut. Sophie could do nothing but try to sooth him as he hunched in the corner vomiting out what little he had left in his stomach. Eventually at around three am he fell into an exhausted sleep. Sophie sat for a while listening to his laboured breathing before she too drifted into sleep. When Sophie woke again Nate was no longer lying with his head on her lap. He was up and pacing the room. He was still sweating but the worst of the withdrawal symptoms had passed leaving him weak but functional.

"Good morning." She said as she stretched her arms out above her.

"Oh…you're awake…" Nate said stopping his pacing and looking over at her.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him as she started to pull herself up.

"Oh you know…" He said smiling weakly at her and moving to her side helping her up but almost collapsing on top of her with his effort.

"Careful Nate…" She said as she saw him almost lose his balance and grimace in pain at the same time.

"How are you feeling…?" He asked her as he pulled her into an embrace ignoring the aching in his muscles and the pain from holding her against him.

"Fine…" She said. They were both lying to each other but that was their way. Neither one could do anything to ease the others suffering at the moment anyway.

"So…what is the plan?" She asked. She knew he had a plan just by the look on his face, Sophie could read this man very well.

He looked at her and smiled again. She knows me far too well he thought.

"You my dear Sophie are going to take a slow stroll around this beautiful place with your new beau…" Nate said to her watching her face and seeing both interest and fear on it.

"Nate…" Sophie whispered.

"Sophie, I know you can handle him…I…I…"

"I can handle him." She said firmly, she had to for both their sakes. "What do I do during this little meander of mine?"

"Well, firstly you are going to lift a few vital items from our guests." He said knowing that he was asking her to play a very dangerous game…a game that could result in something far worse than death.

"Such as…You do know they'll notice if I snatch a rifle, or a gun right?"

"No…I don't need those. What we do need is a lighter or matches." Nate said his hand characteristically placed over his mouth in thought. "A knife will do nicely and if you can manage a rag it would help tremendously. The last thing I need is to know if those are diesel or petrol tanks out there, I think they are diesel but I am hoping for at least one or two drums of petrol…" He told her.

"And once you have these items…?" She asked wanting to hear the rest of the plan.

"Well…all we have to do is incapacitate the guards at the door, blow up the fuel tanks, get at least some water and get the hell out of this place. I am not sure where we are so running off would be stupid. We are going to head into the rocky hills to the south of here; we should be able to evade them for a time there a least. Enough time for Eliot and the others to get here."

"Oh is that all…" She smiled at him "Assuming of course that Eliot and the other are on their way here, I mean, how would they even be able to track us here after you know, them taking the trackers and everything." Sophie added.

"Oh they are on their way Sophie, don't you worry about that, it is just a matter of time, and we have to buy them that time."

"Ok so we go and blow up…"

"No Sophie…I go and blow up the tanks, you will be in charge of getting to the well and getting us enough water to keep us going for a while. Then you will hightail it to the rocks, I will catch up with you afterwards."

"Nate you are in no condition…"

"Non-negotiable Sophie…you are going and that is the end of this discussion." Nate said his voice firm and hard. "And before you say it…if something goes wrong you keep going."

"No…No Nate that is…"

"Sophie…I need to know you will do this, I need to know you will go, please." He said softly putting his hands on either side of her face. "Please Sophie you have to promise me…" He said kissing her gently. "If I get caught you coming back will only get you caught. Me they will kill…you…" He said looking deep into her eyes trying to make her understand this was the only way it could go down. "Besides…I'm not planning on being caught." He said kissing her again.

"You can't ask me to just run away and let them kill you Nate…" She said pulling her head back and looking him in the eyes. "You can't ask that."

"I can and I am. Sophie…if this does not work I am dead anyway. He won't kill you, what he will do to you is far worse than that and you know it. So please…for me, for my sanity, promise me you will get yourself as far away as possible from this place no matter what happens to me."

She stared at the man before her tears welling in her eyes. She knew he was right, but she also knew that there was no way she was going to let him sacrifice himself for her freedom. "I promise…" She whispered through the tears and kissed him tenderly.

"Thank you…" He whispered back pulling her close to him and holding her. He too knew that she would not do as she promised, she would come back and try to save him…well he would just have to make sure it did not come down to that. They stayed locked together for a long time relishing the feel of each other before he finally pulled away from her.

"Now, even before we get to what might or might not happen, you Mrs. Ford…" He smiled at her using the name she had given herself when all of this started. "You need to get our host to give you the tour, and breakfast too…"

"Right…" Sophie said and he could see the transformation from his Sophie to the Grifter he knew. She straightened her hair out and tried to smooth down her clothes before looking him in the eyes and whispering her apology. He looked confused and then saw her hand fly to his face as she slapped him, yelling out at the same time that he was an oaf who had no concern for her wellbeing. Then she turned to the door and started banging on it and yelling for Ben.

It took about five minutes of this before the door was opened and she was allowed out. The door was closed again and she was ushered to the tent she had dined in the previous evening. As she entered Ben was waiting for her again.

"Mrs. Ford…you were asking for me." He asked his voice smooth.

"Yes…yes…I…" She stammered slightly then pulled herself up and stared into the man's eyes. "I thought we could dine together again…I really enjoyed your company last night…" She said coyly casting her eyes down again as she said the last part.

"Of course…I would be greatly honoured if you would join me for breakfast." Ben said. Sophie smiled at him. He was typical…how could she possibly resist his charm was what he was probably thinking. "Perhaps you would care to freshen up before we dine." He asked her his eyes devouring her body.

"That…that would be nice..." She said softly.

"And what of your husband…?" He asked her slyly.

"Oh he is such an oaf…he doesn't care what happens to me…he already thinks that you and me…" Sophie blushed giving the man the impression that her husband had accused her of adultery with him last night.

"Such a man does not deserve a woman like you…" Ben said taking her hand and kissing it his lips lingering on her flesh.

"Oh…" Sophie uttered softly. Wanting desperately to pull her hand away and forcing herself not to.

"You may go through there and you will find what you need." Ben indicated the back of the tent.

"Thank you…" Sophie said then moved into the back of the tent letting down the flap behind her. She quickly used the basin filled with water to wash the dirt and grime from her face and hands. Then stuffing the little cloth into her pocket she turned to rejoin Ben in the front room.

"Ah yes… better, but perhaps later you could take a full bath and I could provide you with some fresh clothes." Ben said as he took her hand and led her to the same food laden table as the night before.

The both took their seats at the table. "I hope you find the selection to your satisfaction." He told her as he waved his hand over the food.

"Yes…very nice." Sophie replied as she started picking out a selection and adding it to her plate.

The meal passed in relative silence. Sophie was hungry and used the opportunity to get as much food into herself as possible. In between she snuck what she could into her pockets to give Nate later. Along with the bits of food she had managed to lift one of the knives without her guest noticing. She doubted he would notice anything. He was too busy staring at her and undressing her with his eyes. His gaze made her skin crawl but she was the consummate professional and continued her act of coy shyness at his glances.

"You were really hungry Sophie…" He said as she finished eating. He stood from the table and moved over to her lifting her up and wanting to pull her into an embrace.

Sophie put her hands between them and turned to stare out the tent.

"It is such a beautiful day…I have been cooped up for so long with no fresh air…" She said then turned to face him her most innocent and seductive look on her face. "Perhaps we could take a walk…?" She asked softly.

"Of course my dear…" He said taking her hand and leading her out into the sunshine.

Sophie took the arm he offered and they stared out towards the water's edge. She knew she could not steer him directly to where she actually wanted to go, so she walked beside him in the direction he led her. She started to engage him in conversation. She spoke to him of Britain asking him where he had studied and so forth. He was so absorbed in her conversation that he did not realize that she was steering him to the back of the compound as they slowly meandered their way along. When they got to the building she wanted to be at, she stopped abruptly and stared out into the desert.

"It has a beauty all of its own I think." Sophie said staring out at the desert landscape. Ben moved to her side and slightly in front of her and stared out in the direction she was looking.

"Yes it does my dear…I am so glad you appreciate it, it is not many woman who do." He said wistfully. Sophie used that time to survey the barrels that were lined up beside the hut. Diesel was the label on the majority of them but at least two were labeled petrol.

"Come my dear…let's go back to the tent shall we…" Ben said offering her his arm again.

Sophie took his arm and he led her quickly back towards his tent. Ben led her into the tent and then turned to her suddenly pulling her into a tight embrace, his mouth inches from hers.

"You wish to take that bath now…?" He asked her his voice husky and filled with lust.

"I…I…" Sophie stammered pulling away from him. "I…I think I should go back to Nate…my husband." Sophie said softly. She saw his eyes darken with anger as she uttered the words. "I…I'm sorry…" She whispered giving him the impression that it was not really what she wanted, but what she had to do.

Ben stared at her. He was angry, no he was furious and frustrated, all he wanted to do was ravish this black haired beauty before him. But he could see that she would not do anything whilst her husband lived. As much as he hated that she would not cheat on the man, he somehow also respected her all the more for it. He only had to wait a little while longer, until the confirmation of the ransom drop and then he would kill the man, and he would have her to himself. He was sure once Nate was out of the picture Sophie would stay with him. He could feel her desire for him. And what woman would not desire him he thought to himself smugly…yes…Nate would be dead in only a few more days and she would be his.

"Very well my dear…return to your husband if you wish." He said kissing her hand again and then nodding to the guard to escort her back to the little hut. As she was ushered through the door she managed to acquire the guards lighter from his pocket, the final item on Nate's wish list. Ben's eyes followed her all the way watching the way she moved and telling himself to be patient. He did not want to take forcibly what he thought she would give willingly. He would wait. Then he turned and re-entered the tent to call Alec Hardison again and set the ransom drop in motion.

**Do you think Nate's plan will work? Will both he and Sophie manage to escape? How far away do you think Eliot and the rest are? Thank you all so much for taking the time to review. I am so glad you are all enjoying the story. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I really do appreciate every single comment I receive. Thank you all so much for reading; I will try to post again as soon as possible. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The journey had been slow going and although it was only some sixty miles from where they had left the charter, it had already taken them almost three hours. Eliot knew they were close though, close enough to walk, he could not take a chance of alerting the pirates to their presence by taking the car too close to their camp. It was early into the next morning when he stopped the car between two large outcroppings.

"Hardison…?" He asked as the Hacker came awake from the lack of movement. He and Parker had taken the opportunity to catch some sleep during the trip, at Eliot's insistance.

"Yeah…just hold on." Hardison said reaching for his gadgets. "Ok…there are heat signatures from that direction." He pointed the way before continuing. "They are about three miles away."

"Good…we walk from here." Eliot said as he exited the car and started to gather what he would need. Hardison and Parker did the same and within a few minutes they were on their way towards the pirate encampment.

The going again was agonizingly slow, the terrain rough and uneven. Although the moon was out and the skies were clear, it was a new moon and the light it gave was minimal illumination to the three. Although it made the walk more difficult Eliot was glad of the cover it offered. Finally they arrived on the outskirts of the camp and Eliot immediately knew something was wrong. He fixed his eyes on the little hut to the side of the encampment. Turning to Hardison he asked the question.

"No man…nobody inside. There are two people in that far tent and one wondering about the camp. But that's all man." Hardison whispered in response.

"So they are in the far tent then." Parker said and started to rise.

Eliot grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.

"I don't think so Parker." He said quietly. He looked around the camp again taking in the burnt tent at the back and the ruins of the building behind it. "I think something went down here and the rest of them are out there somewhere…" Eliot looked out into the rocky desert landscape.

"Ok…so what…Nate and Sophie escaped and they are after them?" Parker asked.

"Maybe…" Eliot replied. There was of course another possibility, one he did not really want to consider. These guys could have been attacked by a rival gang, it happened all the time. If that was the case then this could be all that was left of the pirates that took Nate and Sophie. If that were so then they were in the hands of another gang or they were dead. His stomach turned at both prospects. But Parker could also be right; they had escaped and were out there now trying to evade capture. Whatever had happened Eliot needed to know so that he could know where to start looking for them. "We'll just have to ask one of them." Eliot said softly.

He did not even bother to try to tell the other two to stay put, they would not do it anyway. Instead he told them to stay low and stay quiet as he started out toward the camp.

"Hardison…where is our nomad?" He asked the Hacker quietly.

"Headed this way…he should be here…" But Eliot was gone and there was a short scuffle and then he was back dragging an unconscious pirate with him.

"Ok…let's go." Eliot said moving off towards the tent holding the other two occupants of the encampment. Eliot indicated that they stop just short of the tent and showed for them to wait. He then made his way over to the front entrance and snuck a look inside. One of the pirates was lying on a stretcher the other leaning over him. Eliot stood up straight and walked into the tent quietly. He came to a stop just behind the standing man and spoke softly.

"Don't make any sudden moves…I don't want to hurt you."

The pirate stood straight up and turned slowly toward Eliot. His eyes flickered from Eliot to Parker and Hardison who had now also entered the tent. The other man did not move at all, he was obviously injured and unconscious.

"No hurt…" The pirate said in a scared voice.

"I am not going to hurt you…what happened here?" Eliot asked him keeping his voice low and soft.

"They get away…" The pirate replied then pointed out into the desert.

"The two you were holding here…?" Eliot asked his voice going hard again.

"Y…Y…Yes." The pirate stuttered. He had worked amongst men of violence his whole life, he was one himself, and he knew a dangerous man when he saw one. Eliot's tone made him fear for his life. These were obviously friends of the kidnapped pair.

"Both of them…" Hardison chipped in from behind Eliot.

"Yes…both."

"Which way did they go?" Eliot asked him.

The pirate did not answer he merely pointed out towards the rocky outcrops Eliot had noticed when entering the encampment.

"How long ago did this happen?"

"I don't know..." Then seeing Eliot's face darken he quickly added that it had happened last night, about eight hours ago.

"How many went after them?"

"Ten men." The pirate answered immediately, he was not going to even try to lie to this man.

"Ok, thank you for your help." Eliot said then his hand struck out hitting the pirate in the head and felling him instantly. "Sorry about that." Eliot said to the downed man. "Hardison get the other one and bring him in here, we need to make sure they ain't going bring more people along or get a warning out about us." He said as he looked around for something to secure the pirates with.

Once the three pirates were secured Eliot led the other two out and towards the direction the pirate had told them Nate and Sophie had gone. They moved silently but quickly. Damn you Nate…couldn't you have just trusted we would be along and stayed put… Eliot thought to himself as he looked out into the desolate landscape. He had no idea what condition his two friends were in, but regardless, this was an unforgiving landscape and they had ten men, men who knew the land, after them. He doubted they had any kind of weapons with them and he was sure that the pirates would be heavily armed. The chances of Nate and Sophie being able to avoid their pursuers for very long was not good. At least now they had the cover of darkness, but the dawn was not far off and then it would be a whole other ball game. Eliot set his jaw and picked up speed. The two behind him did the same, their fear for Nate and Sophie driving them forward at a reckless pace through the night.

**Do you think Eliot and the others will catch up to Nate and Sophie before Ben and his bunch do? What do you think ben will do to them if he does catch up to them first? What condition do you think Nate is in? Thank you all so very, very much for your reviews and please keep them coming.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sophie was pushed into the room to find Nate waiting anxiously for her. His eyes conveying his concern as he watched her enter.

"It's ok…" She said and after the door was closed she took the few steps separating them and pulled him into a tentative hug. She was still very much aware of his injuries and did not want to cause him discomfort.

Nate pulled her a little closer and closed his eyes saying a silent prayer of thanks. Then he parted from her to look her over properly.

"Really Nate…" She said as she stepped back from him. "I'm fine." She said moving over to the mat and sitting down tapping the floor next to her inviting him to sit down with her.

"Ok…first you eat this…it's not much but it is something and you need to get some form of sustenance into you."

He smiled at her and took the pieces of cheese and cold meat she had managed to stuff into her pockets. They had delivered more food for him, just as bad as the previous evening. He had chosen not to eat any of it but he had forced himself to swallow some of the liquid that the bread and meat was swimming in. As he sat eating the scraps she brought him she emptied her other pockets taking out the items he had asked for.

"That's everything…" She said laying the lighter down on the mat along with the other items. "I don't see how we are going to get passed the guard though."

"Yeah…working on that…" Nate said. He too realized that that part of his plan was a little iffy to say the least. The rest he was sure he could pull off but without being able to get out of the hut the rest was irrelevant.

"Well you were wrong…" She smiled at him sweetly and when he raised his eyebrows in question she elaborated. "There is only one guard outside this building…if that helps." She told him. She had noticed that only the big burley pirate who escorted her to and from Ben was stationed outside the hut.

"Yeah, it might make it easier but we still have to get passed him." He said thoughtfully. The guard they were talking about was a huge man, big and burly and Nate knew from firsthand experience, very strong. It was not going to be the easiest thing to bring the man down.

"Outside the hut…just outside, are there any rocks…big ones?" He asked Sophie turning towards her.

Sophie was silent trying to remember what there was on the ground outside the hut. "I don't know…I think there might be." She responded after a short pause.

"Ok…well we need him to come into the hut and then you can hit him with a rock from behind." Nate said a plan forming in his head.

"And just how am I supposed to get him in the hut without him pushing me in first?" Sophie said and then frowned, "And just how am I supposed to get out of here again. I can't pull the same trick as this morning." She said wondering what Nate had in mind to solve both problems.

"How was Ben with you this morning?" He asked her and could see the distaste on her face as she thought about her mornings' activities.

"Enthralled…"

"As would any man be…" He smiled and leaned forward to capture he lips gently. How did this man know exactly what to say to her she thought to herself, smiling into the kiss.

"Enthralled enough to want to have dinner with you?" He asked his lips not moving to far away from hers.

"Maybe…" She said sitting back and leaning against the wall again.

"Well let's assume that he does, that gets you out of here again. Then when you come back..."

"When I came back what…?" Sophie asked after Nate did not continue with the thought.

"I'm working on it…" He said as he put his head back and closed his eyes. How was Sophie going to get the guy to come in and enter before her…what would make him do that?

"Nate…?"

"I'm working on it Sophie…just give me some time." He said softly. Then he opened his eyes and turned toward her leaning in to kiss her gently again. "Why don't you get some rest? Neither one of us got much sleep last night. We are going to need our strength, we go tonight." He said leaning back again and closing his eyes.

Sophie sat but kept her eyes on him. The bruises on his face were turning multicolored now and his eye was still quite swollen. She did not know what other damage had been done but she could see him wincing slightly when he sat down or moved around, his muscles must be aching she thought, although he was hiding it well. He was also dehydrated and very weak. She was not sure how he was going to pull off the escape, but more than that she did not think he would be able to move at any kind of speed or for any distance at all. Oh well, she thought to herself, we will cross those bridges when we get to them. Looking him over one last time and resting her hand on his thigh, she too closed her eyes and tried to get some rest.

Both of them had drifted off into sleep and were awakened a good six hours later by the burly guard entering the hut. He had in his hands a long flowing black dress. He held it out to Sophie who had stood up quickly as he entered. Behind him another man entered the hut carrying a water jug and a basin. He placed the two items at the door along with a towel and then retreated.

"You dress…I come back later." The burly guard said as he gave Sophie the dress. She was not sure how long they had been asleep but she could see that dusk was settling in and could feel the air had started to cool. It must have been a good few hours.

"Well that answers that question…" Nate said wiping the sleep from his eyes and looking at the garment Sophie had been handed.

"Yes…I guess I will be dining out again tonight." Sophie smiled sourly, the last thing she wanted to do was spend time with Ben.

"I think I'll just order in then…" Nate said ruefully. "Best you get dressed Sophie…he will probably be back shortly for you."

Sophie nodded and quickly changed her filthy clothes for the elegant dress she had been given. She used only a small amount of the water, using the towel to scrub her face, hands and neck.

"You can drink the rest, quickly Nate…" She said as she handed him the jug with the remaining water. It was warm but at least it was water.

Nate nodded and drank down the water gratefully. It was the first clean fresh water he had had to drink in more than two days. Although he was sure it was taken from the little pond, it had obviously been heated so it should be fine to drink. He looked up at Sophie as she tried to straighten out her hair.

"You are truly beautiful…no wonder he can't resist you…" Nate said taking in the elegant dress that adorned her now. Actually she could be dressed in anything, or nothing and he still found her beguiling he thought to himself. No other woman, not even Maggie, had had the effect Sophie Devereaux had on him.

"Nate, what's the plan, he'll be back any minute now." Sophie asked suddenly getting serious again.

"Yes…yes well I haven't quite got it yet, but…"

"Nate…'

"Just play along with whatever I do Ok...I'll have it down by the time you get back." Nate said to her.

"That's cutting it a bit fine isn't it?" Sophie said. She knew he would be true to his word and have a plan by the time she returned but she did not like the fact that he was not absolutely sure of what he was doing…if he made a mistake, it would cost both of them their lives, in her case maybe something more.

"Don't worry Soph…you know I like living close to the edge…but I usually come through don't I?" He said reassuringly.

"I just don't want to die close to the edge…" She replied. "Maybe we should just wait for Eliot to get here."

"We can't…I'll get us out of here I promise." He said moving to her and kissing her on the forehead. "We can't wait for Eliot…I don't know how long they are going to be and I don't think Ben will be able to hold himself back much longer. I am not willing to take that chance…" He whispered to her. She knew he was not talking about the fact that Ben was more than willing to kill him; no she knew he meant what that nasty little man had planned for her.

The sound of the door being unlocked made Nate grab Sophie by the wrist and in a voice dripping with acid he told her to have a good evening before pushing her away. The burly guard stood at the door and watched the interaction taking note of Nate's attitude towards the woman. Sophie was a little taken aback by Nate's sudden harshness with her and then realized he was doing it for the benefit of the guard. She decided to play along as requested and spat out at him that she would. Nate made as if to grab Sophie but the guard moved forward and he quickly moved away to cower at the back of the room. Sophie stared at him and then flounced out of the hut pushing past the guard and walking toward the tent leaving him to hurry after her. The second guard watched them go and then came in to collect the basin, jug and towel, then he too left closing and locking the door behind him.

Nate smiled as the door closed. Trust Sophie to pick up on his cue and play along. Now he had an idea of how he was going to get the guard into the room before her and he hoped she had the same idea in her head. Well there was nothing he could do now but wait for her return he thought. Until then he decided he would get as much rest as he could. He was still feeling weak and his muscles pained terribly. Lifting his shirt he looked at the big purple colored bruise on his abdomen and side. He knew that it was an indication that he was bleeding internally, that and the abdominal pain and the swelling were a sure sign of damage, either to the liver or spleen. He had no idea how much longer he would be able to keep going. Long enough to get Sophie away from here, he told himself determinedly. Sitting down again on the little mat he leaned back and closed his eyes waiting for Sophie to return.

**Well the next chapter will be the actual escape. Thank you all so much for your reviews, I really truly appreciate all of them. Do you think the escape went smoothly or do you think either Sophie or Nate sustained some injuries? What do you think Nate's plan with the guard is? Please leave me your thoughts and comments and your speculations, I really enjoy all the feedback on the story that I receive from all of you. Thank you all again for taking the time and making the effort to review.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Do you not want to return to your husband tonight?" Ben asked as he walked Sophie to the entrance of the tent where her guard was waiting to escort her back to the little hut. It had been a long evening, longer than the previous one, Sophie had made sure to draw it out a bit, they needed the camp to be fairly quiet when they made their escape. Ben could see a look of…was it fear on Sophie's face as he told her they would have breakfast in the morning again. He did not try to persuade her to stay as he had done before, but he was sure her resolve was crumbling.

"Do not worry…we will meet again tomorrow morning, and then I insist you bathe and change your dreadful clothes." His eyes swept over her taking in her figure which the dress he had given her to wear accentuated. "You look so much better when well dressed, and a lady like yourself should always be well dressed." He smiled at her.

"It's…not that." Sophie said softly. "My husband…he…well he doesn't like that you gave me this dress and…and…"

"And you are afraid to go back to the hut." Ben finished for her. He was now sure he could make his move and she would stay. Then he would have Nate killed and she would be his. He had sent the coordinates for the ransom drop and if they wanted proof of life again, well they could speak to Sophie. Nate had outlived his usefulness. He was about to turn and tell the guard to take care of the man when he felt Sophie's hand on his arm.

"No…please…" She whispered. "I didn't mean…I just am a bit afraid, if he…" Sophie nodded toward the pirate and then looked back at Ben "Could he just go in first and make sure Nate is…well…"

"I understand. You wish to return to your husband but you wish that my friend over there makes sure he does not get physical with you." Ben said biting back his disappointment. He could go through with his plans anyway but, a woman like her, she might be less likely to want to stay with him if he killed Nate outright. No he wanted her to give herself to him and that was not far away if he was any judge of a woman's attraction to himself. The problem was how to kill Nate without it looking like murder, he realized that she would never accept him if he killed Nate in cold blood just to get her. And he wanted her, more than he had ever wanted anything. He smiled at Sophie as he led her to stand beside her guard.

"Do not worry…he will make sure your husband understands the situation…" Then seeing the fear in her eyes again but this time for Nate he added quickly. "He will not harm your husband…unnecessarily, but if he resists…well I cannot be held accountable for that now can I my dear." He said patting her hand gently.

"No…" Sophie replied softly and Ben smiled at her.

That is what he had to do, make it look like the man brought it on himself…after all she had just said he would not be responsible for what happened. In his mind she was giving him permission…she wanted to be with him and not that stupid American after all, and this way she could have him without the guilt of her husbands' death on her. Problem solved he thought. He turned to the burly pirate and spoke to him in his native language. The man smiled back at him and Sophie could tell he had been told to beat Nate, probably kill him, just by the look in his eye. Before she or Ben could say any more another one of the pirates joined them and spoke to him softly. Ben nodded and then excused himself telling her that he had business and re-entered the tent. Sophie was then motioned to move back to the hut by the burly pirate.

Walking back Sophie hoped that Nate knew what he was doing. They reached the little hut and the guard, instead of ushering her before him, moved her behind him as he opened the door. Quickly Sophie surveyed the ground around the door and sure enough there was a fair sized rock lying right there. She waited for the guard to move into the door way before picking it up and then followed him ready to strike. She hoped this would knock the man out because if it didn't they were going to be in a lot of trouble.

Nate heard the sound of their footsteps even before the door was pushed open to allow the flood of moonlight in. The figure of the huge pirate stood in doorway. He swept his eyes across the room until they fell on Nate and then he smiled. Nate had moved to the furthest part of the little hut and still it would only be two steps before the big man was on him. He saw the man move forward and braced himself for a blow, ready to try to avoid it if he could. As the big pirate took another step he saw Sophie come up behind him and smack the large rock onto his head. The pirate stopped midstride and grunted loudly. For a split second Nate thought he had not been affected by the blow but then he crumpled noisily to the ground.

"Shut the door quickly." Nate told Sophie who was standing looking at her own handiwork. "We don't have much time. Remember the plan Sophie…you go get us water from the well and then get into the rocks and stay down…no matter what happens you keep going alright." Nate told her. Then he pulled her in for a sudden and passionate kiss. "I'll see you in a bit…now go." He said turning her towards the door and watching as she opened it a crack, peering out first and then slipping into the darkness.

Nate quickly took the guards rifle and emptied it of bullets putting them into his pocket. Then he searched the pirate and found another knife, this one a lot more useful than the table knife Sophie had brought for him. He found nothing else of value and so turned and slipped out into the night closing the door and locking it behind him. He turned to the right and headed towards the building used as their fuel depot.

The camp was quiet and he did not encounter any problems getting to the little building. Quickly he set about his work. He tipped two of the tanks allowing the fuel to run out. One spilling it's liquid toward the mess tent behind which the building stood and one sending a stream of fuel towards the vehicle parked beside the tent. Then he moved the barrels as close together as he could manage before dowsing the little cloth Sophie had provided for him. He was counting on the explosion causing immediate chaos in and around the camp. That, he thought, should buy them enough time to put some distance between themselves and the pirates. He looked around and saw that he had access to another tent which was to the left of the building. It seemed to be sleeping quarters for some of the pirates. Quickly he took a can he found lying beside one of the drums and filled it with petrol. Then he made his way quietly over to the back of the tent. He poured the liquid over a section of the tent and then using the pirates' knife he quickly and efficiently removed the heads of the bullets and laid a path of gunpowder as he retreated. He was about half way back to the building when he ran out of the black powder. Quickly returning to the barrels he made sure that the little cloth was well dowsed and then set the end alight. He put the tip of the cloth into a small opening on one of the barrels and then turned and moved away. As he retreated he also lit his fuse and saw it burn its way towards the tent. He spent no more time admiring his handiwork and started off towards the rocks he had sent Sophie to, when all hell broke loose in the camp.

Nate was nearly out of the camp when the fuel tanks exploded spectacularly, sending fire shooting along the ground following the trail of fuel he had left to the mess tent and then the vehicle which also added to the chaos when it too exploded dramatically. The mess tent was in flames and flames licked at the back of the other tent sending half dressed, half asleep pirates running out in panic. Nate stumbled forward moving as fast as he could. The nights work had taken its toll on him and his movements were now slow and painful. He was also finding hit hard to breath and fought through a wave of dizziness. As he moved passed the first of the bigger rocks he stopped to catch his breath and steady himself, grabbing onto the rock for support. Suddenly out of the darkness Sophie made her appearance.

"Nate...over here…" She said softly moving towards him. "That was quite a show…"

"Yes well let's leave them to enjoy it shall we?" He rasped out trying desperately to catch his breath. "We need to go." He said forcing himself to move forward, he had to get Sophie to a safe place.

"How long do you think before they are after us…?" Sophie asked as she moved slowly alongside him. She could see that he was struggling and knew that he would not be able to move very far off.

"Hopefully a while…It's going to take them some time to figure out what went on and then they are going to have to regroup before setting out." Nate said softly. He was now breathing heavily and each step was a monumental effort for him. He stopped and looked around. He needed to find a place for them to hide, he knew he would not be able to go much further and he also knew Sophie was not going to go on without him. "We need to find a place to hold up Sophie. They are going to be out after us, they will not expect us to stay close to the camp. Hopefully they will pass right by us."

"Ok…well let's go find us a hiding place then."

Nate nodded and using what little strength he had left he led the way. They could hear shouting coming from the camp behind them and then a flurry of gunshots split the night. Nate knew they did not have much time. He spotted three very large rocks a few meters in front of them and led Sophie towards them. Luck was on their side. The rocks were stacked in just such a way that they formed a semi-cave. In the darkness of the night, the pirates should just walk by them in their haste to chase them. Nate figured that Ben was astute enough to know that they would head for the rocks…he would be after them in short time now.

"In there Sophie quickly…" Nate said. Sophie obliged and Nate followed. The space was very small and they had to squeeze in to fit. Sophie wrapped her arms around Nate and they huddled together in their little hidey hole. Nate felt numb, the pain was diming in his extremities and that was never a good sign. He knew he was not going to last much longer, he just hoped he would last long enough to see Sophie through.

"How long do you think this is going to work?" Sophie whispered.

"I don't know…I am sure they will assume that we high-tailed it as far away from here as we could. But, when they find no sign of us, they will figure it out and double back. A couple of hours maybe…This will work now, in the dark, but come morning…I am not so sure. Hopefully Eliot will be here by then."

Ben heard the explosion and ran out of the tent to witness the vehicle also explode and the mess tent and sleeping tent go up in flames. He cursed silently to himself and ran toward the little hut the two prisoners were being held in. Finding the guard missing but the door closed and locked he assumed that the guard had gone to help with the fires. Turning away he was about to leave when he decided that he needed to make sure that Sophie was alright.

"Sophie…" He called out and knocked on the door. No response. He frowned slightly and tried the door again. No it was locked. They could not possibly have escaped…His face grew hard again and he called out to Sophie to stand back from the door, he was going to break the lock. Taking out his pistol he fired a shot into the lock of the door shattering it and the door swung open. Ben immediately saw the big pirate lying prone on the floor and an empty hut.

Ben's anger overtook him and he fired his gun several times into the wall of the hut in utter frustration. "She will pay for this…She will pay dearly her treachery." He promised himself as he left the hut not even bothering to check on the welfare of his man.

Outside his men were scrambling to dowse the fires. The mess tent was totally destroyed as was the building that had served as their fuel storage depot. Ben looked out into the desert beyond the ruined building, the fire lighting up the night sky. No he thought…they will not go that way it would be too easy for us to track them and catch them. He turned and looked at the darkened side of the camp, passed the water and into the rocky landscape beyond. Yes…yes they will try to get away through the rocks.

Ben knew he did not have many men left in the camp; the majority of his them were out on another job. He would leave three men here and take the rest with him. He doubted he would need that many to deal with the two Americans but he was not going to take any chances. Calling one of his men he instructed him to get ten together and to meet at the well. He knew that going out in the dark was a risk but one he was willing to take. He reasoned that the escapees would also have to deal with the rough terrain in the dark and they would not get that far…he would not allow them the rest of the night to put distance between themselves and him. He would catch up to them quickly he was sure, and the sooner he could find them, the faster he could get his revenge. Nate Ford would die a slow and painful death, Sophie…no for her he had other things planed.

**I hope you all enjoyed the escape. Do you think that Nate's little plan will work and for how long? Will Eliot, Parker and Hardison find them before Ben figures out he's been duped and doubles back? How much longer do you think Nate will be able to last? Thank you all for taking the time to review, please keep them coming as they are greatly appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ben and the rest of the search party of pirates had passed them about an hour ago. Sophie had held her breath as a booted foot landed right beside their little haven. She heard Bens voice calling out to his people and although she did not understand what he said she did recognize the tone. Then the boots moved on. Sophie listened as the noise of the search party moved further away.

"They're gone…" She said with relief. When she got no response from Nate she turned to face him.

"Nate…" she said looking at him with concern. He was sitting back against the rock, his eyes closed. She could hear his breathing, his breaths coming in short laboured pants. His skin was pale, almost translucent. His hair drenched in sweat. She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. His skin was cold and clammy.

"Nate…talk to me." She said as she put her hand on his stomach and leaned in closer. She was met with a moan of pain as his face contorted in agony at her touch. Pulling her hand away quickly she lifted his shirt. His abdomen was swollen and rigid and his skin was a deep purple coloring. She knew what that meant, internal bleeding. It also meant that Nate was in serious danger of not surviving this ordeal. She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes as she raised them to look at his face again. Her gaze was met by two blue eyes clouded with pain. She could also see the regret and defeat in them.

"I'm so sorry Sophie…" He said his voice barely audible. "Next time…we will just…g…go to…P…P…Paris." His weak voice almost disappearing on the last word and then his lead lolled to one side and his body went limp.

"Nate…" Sophie called desperately. She reached out and put her fingers lightly on his neck praying for a sign of life. It was there. It was weak but it was there.

"Oh Nate…please stay with me. Eliot will be here soon and him and Parker and Hardison will get us out of here, they will get you help, you just need to fight Nate…fight please for me…for us." She said running her hand down his face and then through his sweat matted hair. She kissed him lightly on the forehead and then the lips, leaning her forehead gently against his.

Sophie looked out into the darkness of the night. She was not sure how long it would take Ben to realize he was chasing ghosts and double back toward them. She knew that Eliot, Hardison and Parker were coming she just hoped they would get here in time. She looked down at the unconscious man. Then moving with as much care as she could she levered herself over him and out of their hiding place. For a moment she stood silently listening for any sound that would indicate the pirates return. The night was still and cool. The cold air was a welcome relief from the claustrophobic interior of their little cave. She breathed the fresh air in deeply. Then getting down on her knees she started to maneuver Nate into the space she had previously occupied. She knew the movement must be agony to him and yet he gave no sound, no response to the pain he must be feeling, none at all. This drove her anxiety levels for him to new heights. He was no longer responding to pain stimuli and that was never a good sign. Once she had ensconced his limp body as deep into the cave as she could she squeezed in next to him. Checking his pulse again and placing her hand on his chest to reassure herself he was still alive, feeling the slight rise and fall of his chest. She then settled back to await the next act in their little drama.

Sophie was not at all sure how much time had passed when she heard the noise of the approaching feet. She estimated that it had been about six hours since their escape. Ben had finally realized that he was on a wild goose chase and was headed back to the camp, searching for them all the while. Nate had not regained consciousness. The only sign of life in him was the sound of his heartbeat as she rested her head against his chest. His breathing was very ragged and very shallow, it seemed to her he was fighting for each little bit of oxygen he managed to inhale. The sky had become lighter signaling the breaking of the dawn. That was not good for them she knew. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered.

"Nate…" She said leaning in to rest her head once more against his, her lips only inches from his face. "I know you can't hear me but I need to tell you…" She leaned down and kissed his lips softly. "I need to tell you that the last two years have been the happiest of my life. I knew I loved you from the moment we met, but I knew I was completely in love with you when you made me a part of your team, your family, your life." She ran her hand over his face and gently cupped his cheek. "The world has been crueler to you than most, and still you stayed a good man, through all the pain and heartache. You became a different man yes, maybe a harder man, but still a good one." She said tears once again building in her eyes. She pressed her lips to his again gently. "If this is to be the end Nate, I need you to know that I…that I would not change a thing and that…that I love you more than anything else in this world...Whatever happens my darling, I need you to know that one truth."

She stopped speaking and listened intently as the pirates were now almost on them. She sat back and took a deep breath, closing her eyes and wiping away her tears. She listened to the falling footsteps and was almost beginning to believe that they were going to pass right by them again when she heard his voice and her heart sank.

"Come out Mrs. Ford, or I will send somebody to get you out." Ben said. She could see his feet and legs as he stood a few feet from the entrance to their hiding place.

Sophie drew in another deep breath and then crawled out and stood up facing Ben directly. He stood with his men spread out around him, all of them heavily armed and all of them with angry looks and hard eyes.

"Your husband too…or is the coward hiding, hoping you will protect him again by beguiling me with your charms?" He said.

Sophie did not respond. She stood her ground baring their way into the haven that held Nate. Ben moved forward until he was inches away from her.

"You can't protect him anymore you bitch…" He said emphasizing his words with a backhand blow to her face. Sophie reeled from the force of the blow, Ben's signet ring cutting a line into her face and staining her cheek with blood.

Ben ordered his men to retrieve Nate. Sophie stood shakily from where she had fallen after the blow and watched as they dragged Nate's unconscious body out and laid him before Ben. Ben looked down at the limp form and then up at Sophie.

"I would have given you everything. I would have given you more than any woman could ever want. But you chose to deceive me, to pretend to want me. Well now Mrs. Ford, now you will be my toy, my prize, and when I am done with you I will give you to them." He threw his head in the direction of his men an evil spiteful look on his face.

Sophie looked back at him with defiance in her eyes. She showed none of the fear she felt. She would not give that to this man.

"But first let me put this…" He said kicking the body his men had laid out at his feet. "Out of its misery..." He laughed then as he pulled his gun from its holster and cocked it aiming it at the unconscious man who was at his mercy.

"NOOOO…" Sophie screamed out as she threw herself forward to cover Nate's body with her own. She heard the shot ring out as she buried her head in Nate's neck and whispered what she thought would be her last words.

**OK…A bit of a cliffhanger…sorry. What do you think is going to happen? Does Ben shoot Sophie? What about Nate? Thank you to all my readers for the time you take to review. I hope you are all still enjoying the story. I look forward to reading your reactions, thoughts and comments on this chapter. I will not leave you hanging too long I promise.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sophie had expected to feel the pain of the bullet as it pierced her. She had expected to feel rough hands pulling her off Nate. She had expected to hear Ben laughing at her. She had expected to die. What she had not expected to see when she opened her eyes, were the dead ones of Ben staring back at her, a hole trickling blood between them.

"Sophie…" the voice that said her name was gentle and the hands that were placed on her were light and soft. She could hear another voice, a hard deadly voice which was commanding the remaining pirates to lay down their weapons. Looking up she saw Eliot and Hardison, both armed with rifles, facing down the pirates. The cool soft hands pulling her up belonged to Parker who kept repeating her name softly. Sophie let herself be lifted up and away from Nate's body. She was not sure what had happened in the last few minutes. She only knew that somehow, someway, Eliot, Parker and Hardison had made their appearance at last, they were safe. Then she looked down at Nate. He looked dead, lifeless and her heart clenched in fear as Parker held her tight.

"I've got this Eliot…" Hardison said his voice uncharacteristically hard and cold. "Check Nate."

Eliot looked at his friend before nodding and turning toward Nate's inert body. Dropping to his knees beside him he quickly examined the man. First he checked him for signs of life, breathing a small sigh of relief as he found them. Pulling up Nate's shirt he exposed his midriff. Eliot took in the swollen, rigid form as well as the purple discoloration it bore. He knew, just as Sophie had, that this could only be caused by prolonged internal bleeding. Eliot ground his teeth together clenching his jaw shut. He moved along Nate's body checking for other external injuries. He noted the swollen and discolored face and dried and caked blood on his face and head. Looking up at Parker who stood supporting Sophie, he ordered her to get back to the camp and bring back enough rope to secure the prisoners as well as a stretcher for Nate. Parker nodded and after giving Sophie a quick hug she was gone. Sophie stared at Eliot her cheek now streaked with blood from the cut she had received. Her eyes were full of tears, both of relief and fear.

"Are you ok darlin'?" Eliot asked the woman seeing her injury and his face again clouding over with fury at the pirates.

"Eliot…" She responded her eyes fixed on the Hitter and he knew what she wanted to know. Her eyes were wide and pleading and caused him to look away from her briefly to regain his own composure before bringing them back to her.

"It's bad Sophie…" He said softly. "Really bad…"

Sophie could see the sadness in Eliot's eyes. His unspoken words ringing clearly in her mind…_"Nate's not going to make it."_ She moved forward and took a seat at Nate's head. Gently she lifted it up and placed it on her lap and began petting his hair softly. Eliot was still for a moment taking in the scene and then with a growl of anger and frustration he stood and walked over to Hardison who was still holding a rifle on the group of pirates. None of them had made a move. With four of their own dead including their leader, none of them wanted to tempt fate.

"I'll take it from here." Eliot said. "I need you to organize that the charter plane meets us at Misrata airport, tell the pilot to clear a flight path to France, Paris. Then I need you to get hold of the best hospital there and tell them we are on our way with a critical patient who has blunt force trauma and internal bleeding possibly from a lacerated spleen or damaged liver. Get them to have a medevac helicopter standing by at the airport. Then you need to contact the authorities and tell them about this lot…" He indicated the remaining pirates, "and about the fate of Nate and Sophie…they are still looking for them." Eliot did not need to state the obvious other instructions, get them a car for when they arrived, get them advance customs clearance due to the circumstances etcetera and so on.

Hardison waited for Eliot to finish with his instructions and then without a word he retreated to get his equipment and started working on what Eliot needed. He did not question him about any of it, he just followed orders. Hardison's gaze periodically went to Sophie who still sat with Nate quietly running her hand though his hair and along his face whispering softly to him to hold on, that they were safe and that they would be getting him to a hospital soon. He looked at Nate and then back to his computer, he had to focus, he had to make sure they saved Nate.

Eliot held his rifle on the pirates his eyes dark with anger and loathing. His face was hard and reflected the conflict he was having with himself, the violence he wanted to unleash on them for what they had done to his friends, his family. He knew getting Nate to France was a risk, but he also knew that the hospitals in Misrata did not have the equipment or the staff necessary to deal with Nate's injuries. Eliot doubted that Nate would even make it to Misrata, but, as he thought it, he put the thought out of his mind. Nate was a fighter. Clenching his jaw again he squeezed the gun in his hand staring at the remaining pirates. It was taking all his self-control for him not to pull the trigger and be done with all of them.

Parker returned carrying the requested stretcher and rope. Between herself and Eliot they managed to secure the remaining pirates. They placed Nate on the stretcher and Parker and Hardison lifted it gently. With Eliot herding the pirates in front of them the two proceeded back to the camp. Sophie walked alongside not letting go of Nate's hand.

On entering the camp they made their way to the jeep standing next to Ben's tent. Carefully they loaded Nate's stretcher on the back and then Sophie climbed aboard sitting beside him and clasping his hand in hers again. Eliot ushered the bound pirates into the tent with the other three they had left earlier.

"Now I don't care if you are here when the authorities get here. But if I see any of you come after us… I…WILL…KILL…YOU. Do you understand?" He asked them. Every one of them might not have understood his words, but they understood the look in his eye and they knew for certain they did not want to cross this man's path again. Each of them nodded in response and Eliot turned and left. He doubted that any of them would come after them. They had lost their leader and a few of their comrades, their camp was destroyed and they were taking their only functional vehicle. He was sure this was not the entire complement of pirates but had no idea where the others were and did not have time to worry about it anyway. The pirates would want to regroup and by the time they had selected a new leader and were able to come after them Eliot and the rest would be long gone.

Returning to the jeep he climbed into the driver's seat and set off. Hardison was still busy getting everything Eliot had ordered done and Parker sat with Sophie holding Nate's other hand. Eliot tried to drive as carefully as possible without going too slow. Nate needed medical attention. It would not matter if he had bounced him around too much on the trip if he was not able to get him to the hospital before he died anyway. The trip to Misrata was not a long one and as soon as they hit the main road he would be able to put on a lot more speed.

It took less than three hours to reach Misrata. The charter plane was waiting for them as instructed at the airport. The pilot had also managed to secure some medical equipment at Hardison's request. He had also sourced a stretcher for them to be able to lay Nate on for the flight. Once they were all aboard, the plane was given emergency taxi rights and took off within minutes. Eliot placed the oxygen mask over Nate's mouth and watched as the plastic misted over with his breath. He sighed deeply. He was amazed Nate was still hanging on to life…he was just not sure for how long he still could. Sophie sat beside Nate still holding on to his hand and running her hands through his hair soothingly. Eliot mused that if the man did survive, it would be just for her. He had never seen two people so committed to each other, in body and soul. He hoped for her sake that Nate managed to hold on.

**Thank you all so very much for reading and taking time to review. I look forward to reading your comments and thoughts on this chapter too. **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The flight time between Misrata and Paris was two hours and forty three minutes. To Eliot it felt like two years. He kept checking on Nate, having to work around Sophie who would not let the man go. When he was close enough to hear what she was whispering to him he had to smile. She was not whispering begging pleas for him to hold on as he had expected. She was reminding him of all they had done together with the implied promise of what was to come. He caught snippets of their life before, during Nate's IYS days. Nate had chased her, down alleys, along canals, through countries and cities. She had run, not too fast though it seemed. He had caught her, or she had let him. They had danced, laughed and loved, from a distance maybe, but loved each other. A calmness had settled over Sophie, she was completely focused on Nate to the exclusion of all else. He could hear the deep love she felt for him in her voice as she spoke softly to the unconscious dying man, reminding him of all the reasons he had to keep fighting for life, for her, for them. He was not sure if Nate could hear her. The fact that he was still alive though, made him think that maybe he could.

They landed without incident in Paris to find a medevac helicopter and medics standing by to receive Nate. Sophie reluctantly let go of his hand as they worked on him. Eliot could see in the eyes of the medics as they took in the state of their patient that they were surprised he was still clinging to life. Sophie followed them to the helicopter and watched them load him on. Eliot pulled the one medic aside and spoke quietly to him. He nodded slightly then moved to Sophie's side.

"There is place for one passenger." He told her.

Sophie looked at him and then at Eliot, her eyes conveying her gratitude. Then she boarded the helicopter and took her place beside Nate, taking his hand in hers again. The three remaining members of the team watched as the bird lifted off and then quickly made their way over to the car Hardison had organized for them. The hospital they were taking Nate too was at least a half hour drive, if there was no traffic, and they wanted to get there as soon as possible. They let Parker drive.

Entering the hospital they found Sophie standing in front of a big window staring in at the activity going on behind it. Hardison and Parker took their places beside the woman, silently offering her their support. Eliot stood to one side watching the organized chaos in the trauma room. His eyes did not remain fixed on Nate as the others were. He was looking at the monitors, listening to the shouted orders and watching the expressions on the faces of the nurses and doctors working on Nate. He could hear the heart monitor loose it's rhythm, he could see the numbers of the blood oxygen monitor dropping lower and lower and braced himself for the alarms that he knew would start sounding as Nate's vital signs started fading. When it did happen, he still flinched…he still could not stop the prick of tears in his eyes as he turned to watch Sophie, more concerned now with the living than the dead. Alarms sounded loudly as everything went into slow motion. He heard the words intubate…he heard the words crash cart…he heard doctors ordering medicines be administered stat. Then he heard nothing except the slow, long, wailing sound of death emanating from the monitors connected to Nate.

Parker and Hardison took their places beside Sophie, flanking her as if they were protecting her from something. They both stared in through the window watching as the doctors and nurses worked on Nate. Mostly the man was hidden from their view by the medical personal who leaned over him working to keep him alive. His clothes had been cut away and he lay with only a sheet covering his lower extremities. Tubes and machines were connected to him. He had an oxygen mask on which obscured most of his lower face. Although it was dampened by the barrier between themselves and the people in the room, they could still hear the orders being barked out by the doctors and the reports from nurses of tests that had been ordered by them. Neither of them understood the shorthand used and what the results meant. What they did understand was the slow, irregular beeping of the machine that told them Nate's heart was still beating. When that changed to a long wailing sound both of them turned towards Sophie. Nate they could not help, Nate was gone, Sophie was with them, and she was the one who needed them now.

Sophie stood watching as the doctors worked on Nate. She watched as they removed his clothing exposing the damage. She watched as they placed an oxygen mask on him and connected the machines which immediately started screaming out their readings. She watched as they stuck tubes into him, filling him with fluids and medicines. She watched as they probed him and drew blood. She was vaguely aware of the arrival of the other three members of the team. Her focus was completely on the little room behind the window. She fought back the tears, she fought back the emotion. Her ears were tuned to the stuttered rhythm of the monitors which told her that he still lived. She did not react when the sound changed. She did not react as she watched the doctors and nurses scramble to grab the equipment they needed to revive him. One of the nurses moved to the little window and after her eyes met Sophie's, a silent sorry passing between them, she closed the blinds, blocking out the scene of death behind her. Then Sophie collapsed. Silently she fell, but before she could hit the ground two sets of strong arms cradled her halting her decent. Then another pair of arms lifted her into the air carrying her to one of the gurneys standing against the wall. There Eliot laid her down gently.

**A bit of a shorter chapter with a cliffhanger to boot, sorry…Do you think the doctors will be able to revive Nate? What do you think Sophie and the rest of the team will do if they can't? Thank you very much for your kind words of encouragement, I really appreciate them. Please keep the reviews coming, I look forward to reading all of them.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It was a nurse not a doctor that came and found them ten minutes later. She spoke English haltingly and very poorly but it did not matter. The words she uttered were what mattered to them. Nate was still alive. The doctors had managed to bring him back and he was stable enough to be taken to surgery. She told them that as soon as any other information was available they would be informed. She looked at the woman on the gurney and saw that the right side of her face bore a nasty cut and the cheek was swollen and bruised. She told them she would get somebody to come and have a look at her. Then she left. It took a few more minutes for them to truly comprehend what she had said. Nate was still alive. He was alive and fighting.

A doctor came to them a few minutes later and took Sophie into an examination room. The cut looked horrible and bloody but it was not deep enough to require stitches. The doctor cleaned the wound and dressed it with dissolvable strips which would pull it together and help the healing process. He then proceeded to check Sophie completely for any other injuries, internal or external, but found nothing further to concern him. He told them they could all wait in the exam room they were in and that he would make sure the nurses knew where to find them with news of their friend. Eliot thanked him and then he was gone.

"Do we wake her?" Parker asked standing beside Sophie her hand gently resting on the woman's shoulder.

"No…I think it's best if we leave her for now. There is nothing she can do and the worrying and waiting will not be good for her."

"I say we wake her." Hardison contradicted Eliot which brought the Hitters eyes to him. "Eliot…she thinks he's dead man…she thinks he's dead!" Eliot did not reply immediately. He thought about Hardison's words. Sophie thought she had watched Nate die. If it were him, he would want to know there was still hope, that he was not dead but fighting for life.

"You're right Hardison…she would want to know that…she needs to know that." He said.

Parker smiled and squeezed Sophie's arm shaking her slightly. The woman did not stir. Eliot moved over to Sophie's side and gently shook her too. Still Sophie did not stir.

"She's out…it's been too much for her." Eliot says softly as he pulls a blanket over her. "She'll wake up in her own time. We just have to let her be. If she isn't awake when we get any news of Nate we'll wake her." What he did not say is that if Nate did not make it through the surgery, at least she would not have to relive his death again. They would be able to shield her from that.

"How long do you think the surgery will take?" Parker asked nervously, her mind returning to their Mastermind.

"I don't know Parker. Not less than a few hours I should think." Eliot replied.

"Well, we haven't eaten in a while, why don't you and I go down to the cafeteria and see what there is." Hardison said. He did not want to sit around staring at a sleeping, no strike that, an unconscious Sophie worrying about whether Nate was hanging in there and dreading that any moment a doctor was going to come and deliver bad news to them. Keeping Parker busy would also be good for her.

"Good idea… I'll have some coffee too." Eliot said smiling at the Hacker. Hardison nodded then grabbed Parkers hand and led her out of the little exam room.

When they had left Eliot let out a deep sigh and allowed himself to relax a little. He had to keep his emotions intact. The stress of the last few days had taken their toll even on him. He knew that it was not over yet either. Even if Nate survived the surgery he was probably not going to be in the best shape. It was going to be at least another couple of days before he would truly be out of the woods. Eliot looked down at Sophie. He pictured her shielding the man from the bullet that bloody pirate was going to put into Nate and his blood started to boil again. Now that he had time to think he recalled the words that the man had uttered to her. Had he harmed her in some other way? The way he was speaking it was as if…No, Nate would never have allowed that. He sighed deeply again, he hated it when his people, his family were hurt, he hated it because it was not supposed to happen, he was supposed to prevent it from happening. He knew he was being irrational, there was no way he could have prevented any of this from happening. He knew that he had worked as quickly and as efficiently as he could to get them back. The fact that Sophie lay passed out and Nate was perhaps dying was not his fault. Still he felt bad, he should have gotten to them sooner…he should have. Eliot took a seat on one of the plastic chairs that were lined against the wall and rested his head against the wall waiting for the other two to return with food and coffee.

Four hours later Sophie resurfaced. At first she was disorientated and then she became almost hysterical as she remembered what she had witnessed. It took a good few minutes of quiet talking to calm her down and convince her that Nate was not dead after all. They had no news of the Mastermind since the nurse had told them that he was being taken to surgery. As far as Eliot was concerned that was good news in itself. It meant Nate was still alive. Two hours later found them out in the waiting area. Sophie could not lie, or sit still for that matter. She paced nervously in front of the doors behind which they had told her Nate had been taken. She would sit for a few minutes but then got up and started pacing again. None of the three tried to stop her. During the two hours Sophie had related their story, from when they were taken to when Eliot and the others had found them. Eliot's face grew dark and foreboding as her story unfolded, it was a good thing he had not known the details before, he was not sure he would have been able to restrain himself from wiping out the whole lot of them for what they had done.

Finally the doors swung open. The doctor who emerged looked a little tired but he did not have the look of somebody bearing bad news Eliot decided. He immediately approached their little group coming to a halt just in front of them.

"Mrs. Ford…?" He asked Sophie who nodded at the question but remained silent.

"I am Doctor Jean-Pierre Routin I operated on your husband." He said his English was quite good although he had a heavy French accent. "Let us take a seat over here shall we?" He said taking her arm and leading her to the bench running along the side of the wall.

"Is he…" Sophie could not bring herself to say the word 'dead' leaving the question hanging in the air.

"No…no he is not." The doctor said much to all of their relief. "He made it through the surgery, we had a few close calls but he hung in." He continued. "Your husband is a fighter Mrs. Ford." He smiled at her.

"Yes…yes he is." Sophie said softly unable to stop the tears from falling. The relief she felt was overwhelming.

"Yes, well as I said he survived the surgery. He had a lacerated Spleen that had been seeping blood into his intestines. We were able to repair the damage and did not have to remove the spleen, which is a good thing. We were also able to repair the damage to the tissue around it. We also had to give him two blood transfusions. Fortunately there was no other major damage to the other organs. He is a very lucky man." The doctor continued. Sophie smiled at that. Nate would never call himself a lucky man, though he most certainly was.

"Now there is one problem…" The doctor said brining a look of concern and angst to her face.

"We are having difficulty rousing. I am not too concerned. He has suffered major trauma and this is his bodies' way of giving itself time to heal. We will monitor the situation over the next forty eight hours and then we will make a decision of what to do next. Now I do not want to lie to you Mrs. Ford, although the surgery went well, there are many complications that could occur, we will monitor him closely for any of them, sepsis being the most likely. He is still in critical condition but, like I said, the next forty eight hours will tell us what we need to know." He said.

"Can I see him?" Sophie asked softly.

"He is still in recovery, but once they have moved him to the ICU I will tell the nurse to let you see him." The doctor said then stood to leave. "As I said before Mrs. Ford your husband is a fighter, I am optimistic of his chances." He smiled then left them.

"He's still alive…he has a fighting chance…that's all Nate needs…" Hardison said suddenly breaking the silence. All eyes turned towards him as he smiled broadly. "Nate is good at fighting…"

**So Nate is still alive, but not out of the woods. Thank you all for your continued support and your lovely reviews. I look forward to reading all of them, I love knowing what you thoughts about the chapter and the story as a whole. Thank you all for reading **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

They had to wait an agonizing hour before the promised nurse made her appearance. She indicated that they should follow her to Nate's room. He lay in a bed surrounded by a multitude of different machines. Tubes snaked their way around him and into him. An oxygen mask covered his face from his eyes down to his jaw. The nurse they were following came to a halt before the glass sliding doors.

"Mrs. Ford, the doctor said only five minutes." She said turning to face them. "I am sorry but the doctor said only Mrs. Ford."

Sophie stood at the doors staring in at Nate. Slowly she moved forward to stand by his bed looking down at him. The others watched her through the glass walls of the ICU room. Tentatively Sophie reached down and took his hand in hers. It was limp and cold. A tear slipped from her eye as she surveyed the damage the pirates had done. His face still had significant bruising from the beating he had taken at the hands of the burly pirate a few days before. His left eye looking like somebody had put a whole lot of dark eye shadow all around it. Sophie leaned in careful not to disturb any of the medical equipment around him.

"Thank you…" She whispered softly into his ear. "Thank you for staying with me." She said placing a gentle chaste kiss to his forehead, letting her lips linger there.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Ford but you will have to leave now." The nurse said. "He needs his rest."

"Of course…" Sophie said straightening up. She whispered to Nate that she was not leaving him, that she would be right outside and that she loved him before turning and leaving the room.

Exiting the room she took her place beside the other three. They all stood looking in through the glass at the still form of Nate. Eventually Eliot turned to Sophie tearing his eyes away from the Mastermind.

"Sophie, Hardison has organized a hotel for us, I think you should let me take you there and you can get cleaned up and change your clothes."

"I'm not leaving him!" Sophie said not even bothering to look at Eliot as she replied.

"Sophie…" Eliot said taking her by the shoulders and turning her to face him. "When Nate wakes up do you really want him to see you like this?" Eliot said softly. "When he wakes up he is going to need you. He is not going to need to worry about you. If he sees you like this, what do you think he is going to do?"

Sophie stared at the Hitter. He was right of course, but she did not want to leave Nate. Not even for a short while. What if something happened? What if he woke up and she was not there? What if he…her eyes started filling with tears again at the very thought.

"Sophie darlin' you know I am right. Hardison and Parker will stay right here. They will keep an eye on him and if anything happens they will let me know. I promise you." Eliot said earnestly. He could still see the hesitation in her eyes though. "The hotel is just around the corner. We can be back in less than ten minutes if something happens. Please Sophie…for him."

"We'll make sure he is ok Sophie…he won't be alone." Hardison chipped in trying to allay her fears.

"I'm not going anywhere." Parker stated adding her voice to the chorus.

Sophie stared at the three of them and a slight smile touched the edges of her mouth. They were ganging up on her and they were not playing fair. She knew they were right. If…no she shook her head slightly…WHEN Nate woke up his first concern would be her. If he saw her like this, disheveled, red-eyed and with a blood smeared face, it would do him no good at all. She turned back towards the room and looked at the man in the bed.

"Ok…but…"

"The minute anything changes…we promise." Hardison said anticipating her words.

Sophie nodded then kissing her fingers she placed them on the glass wall saying a silent farewell to him before turning and leaving with Eliot.

The trip to the hotel was spent in silence. Sophie's thoughts were consumed with Nate and Eliot did not want to force a conversation. Entering the hotel room Sophie immediately said she would take a shower first. She did not want to waste any time. She wanted to get back to the hospital as soon as possible. Idly she wondered what she would wear as she entered the main suite. There on the bed she found a set of clothes neatly laid out on the bed. She smiled to herself…Hardison thought of everything didn't he…he always had all their bases covered, always had their backs. Parker must have helped…she doubted Hardison knew her size. Closing the door to the bedroom she made her way into the bathroom and turned on the shower taps to let the water get hot. Disrobing she stared at herself in the mirror. She was not too much the worse for wear besides the cut on her cheek. She ran her hand over the wound and wondered to herself if it would leave a scar. She doubted it. She climbed into the shower and stood under the hot water letting it pound into her. Her mind returned to recent events she was overwhelmed with emotion and she started to sob uncontrollably. The water from the shower mixing with her tears as she sank down against the wall and allowed all of the emotion and tension and pain of the last few days and hours ebb from her.

Sophie finally emerged from the room an hour and a half later to find Eliot waiting for her on one of the comfortable couches in the main living area of the suite.

"You ok darlin'?" He asked her. He had been worried when she took so long to come out. He was sure that she would want to get back to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Fine Eliot…" She said unconvincingly, although she did feel a hundred percent better.

"Ok…" Eliot said although he knew she was not alright, none of them were, and none of them would be until Nate was out of danger.

"They didn't call?" Sophie asked anxiously.

"No." Eliot assured her. "I think we need to get some food into you as well Sophie…you need to keep your strength up…"

"If you say for 'him' Eliot I swear…" Sophie said looking at the Hitter with a glint in her eye.

"Ok…sorry…not for him, for you…for me…for Parker, for Hardison…pick one."

"Ok…we can get something on the way back…I'll eat there." Sophie acquiesced to him knowing he was right again, but not wanting to waste any more time, she had already been away longer than what she had meant to be.

"Sounds good…" Eliot said as he picked up the keys to the car. "Ready…"

Sophie nodded and followed Eliot out of the room and into the elevator. They stood in silence as they rode the seven floors down from the penthouse suite.

"Thank you Eliot…" Sophie said to him suddenly leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "Thank you so much."

"I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner…I…"

"Don't Eliot. Just don't. You saved us. You and Parker and Hardison, if you had not gotten there when you did…" Sophie shivered slightly at the thought. Neither one spoke again for the rest of the short trip down both busy with their own thoughts.

The elevator doors opened to let them out and they walked swiftly to the parking area to retrieve their car. Getting in Eliot started the vehicle and then asked Sophie what she would like to get for dinner. They agreed to get something from the cafeteria at the hospital before returning to the ICU waiting area. They parked the car and after the detour to get food and drink they made their way back to Parker and Hardison. The pair sat wrapped in each other's arms on a comfortable couch that stood in the middle of the waiting area. They sat facing the room Nate was in so if anything happened they would know. Nothing had. Nurses had come and gone changing the IV and checking on the machines that monitored his condition but that was all.

Hardison looked up as they approached. "No change…" He said softly to Sophie.

Sophie did not reply just moved closer to the window and stared in at an unmoving Nate. She wanted to go in and take his hand in her own and tell him she was there, that she would always be there, that she needed him to come back to her.

"Sophie, come and sit down and eat." Eliot instructed her. She wanted to snap at him that she was not a child but decided against it. They were worried, not only about Nate but also about her. She knew they were suffering just as much as she was. Actually probably more because they had two people they were worrying about. She turned slowly and took a seat next to Parker. Eliot handed her the sandwich she had chosen along with a soda.

"He's going to be ok you know…Nate is always ok…" Parker said as she munched on her sandwich.

"'Course he is girl…'course he is…" Hardison said in response to the thief.

"Damn right." Eliot said with a conviction he did not quite feel.

After the meal Sophie stood and approached the nurses' desk asking if she could go in again. The nurse looked up and was about to tell her no visitors when she saw the look on Sophie's face.

"Ok…but only a short time." She said.

"Thank you." Sophie smiled and turned making her way to Nate's side again.

"I'm here my love…" She said taking his hand and bending to kiss it gently. He still felt cold and lifeless. Tears threatened again but she fought them back. "I will never leave you Nate…please don't leave me, I would not be able to…I need you Nate, I love you, please my darling come back to me." She squeezed his hand gently hoping for something in return, some sign of life instead of just the beeping monitors. But there was nothing.

"Mrs. Ford…" The nurse said sticking her head into the room ten minutes later. "I am sorry but..."

"Yes…yes, thank you for letting me in to see him." Sophie smiled at the nurse and left the room.

The four of them took seats ready for a long nights' vigil. Parker had curled up on the couch beside Hardison who was working on his laptop. Eliot had taken a seat opposite the room where he could easily keep an eye on Nate and Sophie joined him there.

"He'll pull through Sophie…you'll see." Eliot said softly to her. She smiled and put her head back leaning up against the wall.

Within an hour three of the four were asleep. Eliot eased Sophie down from her sitting position and let her head rest on his lap, her legs stretched out along the row of plastic seats. Parker had fallen asleep curled up beside Hardison who slept sitting upright in the couch his head lolling to one side slightly his computer precariously balanced on his knees. Eliot sighed as he looked at each of the three. He looked back into Nate's room again before putting his head back against the wall and, closing his eyes, he drifting off into a light slumber.

They were awoken by a commotion in Nate's room as the monitors gave off their alarms. Sophie sat bolt upright fear almost drowning her. Her heart sank as one of the nurses came running out to them. Oh my God NO…were her thoughts when the nurse called her name.

"Mrs. Ford…" Sophie stepped forward with Eliot on her elbow ready to support her. "Please come with me, your husband is awake and in a panic over you…" She said urgently.

Sophie's eyes were wide with fear and then almost disbelieve at her words, but without so much as an acknowledgement she flew into Nate's room the other nurses making way for her to get to his side. Nate was calling out to her…trying to pull the wires and tubes out of himself in order to go and find her.

"Nate…Nate…shhhhh it's ok…I'm here…" Sophie said taking his hand and rubbing it softly.

"Sophie…Soph…" Nate said his voice fading as his strength waned.

"Yes…yes Nate it's me…I'm here…I'm fine…Shhhhh my love…" She soothed him again.

"Soph….." He said again his voice barely audible and then his head lolled to the side and he was still.

The heart monitor had returned to a steady rhythm and the other monitors had also ceased their alarms. Sophie stayed holding Nate's hand until the doctor made his appearance. He checked out Nate and the readings on the monitors working around Sophie who was refusing to release the Mastermind. The doctor smiled slightly as he listened to the nurses' account of what had happened.

"Well Mrs. Ford it seems that not having you in here might be more hazardous to you husband than having you here. I think it is better if you remain by his side." The doctor said to her. "I will check in again in the morning. This is a good sign Mrs. Ford, a very good sign." He reassured her before leaving with the nurse to give further instructions on medicines he wanted Nate to receive.

Once the doctor had left, Parker, Hardison and Eliot decided that they too needed to be in the room with Nate for when he awoke again. The nurse was going to object but something in Eliot's eyes told her not too. She decided to leave well enough alone, if one was in there, they might as well all be in. Eliot and Hardison organized chairs for all of them and they took up residence in the spacious ICU room waiting for the Mastermind to awaken again.

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know what you thought. I appreciate all reviews greatly.**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

It was two days before Nate surfaced again. When he did it was to his team surrounding him and Sophie urging him to open his eyes. When he did as she asked he flinched a little at the bright white light of the room. He was slightly confused, unable to comprehend how he had gotten from the depths of the desert to a sterile white room. He recalled nothing from after they had taken up residence in the little cave to avoid the pursuing Ben and company. He did not panic at the strange environment though, not with Sophie's face before him telling him he was safe, that she was safe.

"Soph…" He slurred finding his voice after a few minutes. His throat was dry and sore and it was an effort to speak.

"Welcome back…" Sophie said a broad smile crossing her face as she leaned forward and placed a kiss to his lips. He no longer had the oxygen mask, it had been replaced by the smaller oxygen tube.

"Yeah man, it's about time you woke up." Hardison said his face also sporting a broad grin.

Nate's eyes left Sophie to take in the other members of the team one at a time. Parker stood next to Hardison and Eliot occupied the space at the foot of his bed. All of them were smiling happily, all except Eliot who stood surveying him earnestly. Then he brought them back to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked almost fearfully.

"I'm fine Nate, they found us in time." She told him knowing what he was meaning and reassuring him that nothing had happened.

"Good…" He said his voice fading again. Although he wanted to keep them open he lost the battle and his eyes slid shut as he drifted back into sleep.

"He's out again…" Sophie said disappointment and concern lacing her voice.

"He's been through a lot Sophie. The trauma and the loss of blood; not to mention the six hour surgery he went through. I am sure tomorrow he will wake up properly." Eliot said knowing that she was worried that it was a bad sign that he could not stay awake. "I don't think he will wake up again until tomorrow so why don't we go and get some sleep?" He said. It had been a long two days vigil with Sophie getting little sleep as she sat by his bedside. Parker and Hardison had gone back to the hotel earlier and had just returned when Nate had woken. He wanted Sophie to get some rest too, proper rest. "We can be back in a couple of hours."

Sophie smiled at the Hitter. She was tired, and he was right, Nate was probably not going to wake again till morning. The doctor had been to see him earlier and had expressed his satisfaction with Nate's progress. Although he had warned them that he was still not out of danger, he had assured them that he was doing well. She decided that Eliot was right they should go and grab some sleep before returning to the hospital.

"We'll be right here and if anything happens we'll call." Hardison answered her question before she could ask.

"Ok…let's go." Sophie said bending down and kissing Nate and telling him she would see him in the morning. Then she and Eliot left to go to the hotel.

They had been at the hotel for just over an hour when the call came in.

"Hardison…"

"Eliot, I don't know what happened…He just, he just…"

"Slow down Hardison, when what happened?" Eliot said fear and apprehension growing inside him.

"I don't know Eliot…he started convulsing and then…then his heart…Eliot…"

"Is he dead?" Eliot asked not mincing his words.

"NO!" Hardison said loudly. "But they took him back into surgery. The doctor didn't say anything…they had to rush him out."

"Ok, we'll be back there in a few minutes." Eliot said then put the phone down and made his way to Sophie's room.

"Sophie" he called out as he rapped lightly on the door.

"Just a minute Eliot…" She called back and a few minutes later opened the door. One look at Eliot's face told her something was terribly wrong.

"We've got to get back to the hospital." Eliot told the woman standing before him in a bathrobe, her wet hair indicating she had just emerged from a shower.

"Eliot, what's wrong?" Sophie asked her angst levels rising with the thoughts that immediately started running through her head.

"Something has happened to Nate." Eliot said. "Hardison could not tell me what, but they had to take him back into surgery." He saw no point in sugarcoating it.

Sophie just stared at him briefly then closed the door in order to get dressed. She was out of the room within a few minutes, wearing jeans and a t-shirt; it was the fastest and easiest for her to get into. Her hair hung wet and un-brushed. She said nothing as she walked passed Eliot and out of the door. Eliot wasted no time in following her. Ten minutes later they arrived at the hospital to find two distraught people waiting for them.

"They still haven't told us anything." Hardison said as they approached.

Sophie walked right passed them and straight to the nurses' station.

"What happened with Mr. Ford? I want to know what is going on and you are going to tell me!" Sophie demanded, her voice laced with fear but forceful.

"Mrs. Ford, I am sure the doctor…"

"Don't tell me to wait for the doctor." Sophie said coldly. "Just tell me what the hell happened."

The nurse looked at the older woman. "He has been taken into surgery." She replied shortly. "I really don't know any more than that at the moment." She continued then seeing the other woman's eyes darken she added that she would let them know immediately she knew something.

Sophie looked at her and then turned sharply away. She could see that the nurse did not know what was going on either. She sat down on one of the chairs and stared resolutely at the doors to the theatre. Parker sat down next to her, she too kept her eyes on the door.

Eliot moved to Hardison's side. He stood a little way away from the two women just as mesmerized by the doors as they were.

"What happened Hardison…exactly...?" Eliot asked the Hacker.

"I don't know, one minute everything was peaceful. Then he stared to…to…convulse or something. The nurses rushed in and chased us out of the room. Then the doctor came. We could not hear what he said and then they rushed Nate out and into theatre." Hardison recounted the details of what he had witnessed to Eliot.

Shit…Eliot thought to himself, this was not good. He thought that Nate's recovery was too good to be true. The amount of blood he had lost and the trauma…no way he was just going to come out of it. Eliot thought over what Hardison had told him. One conclusion jumped out at him, but he hoped he was wrong. The only thing he could think had happened was that Nate had had an embolism; there must have been some bleeding that the doctors did not catch, or a clot from the surgery or something. In his experience that was never a good thing, more often than not, that kind of thing was fatal. He could be wrong. It could be a myriad of things. Looking at the two women and then at the frightened Hacker at his side, he hoped to God he was wrong.

**Another cliffhanger ****. Thanks for reading, please let me know what you thought. All comments and thoughts are welcome. All reviews greatly appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Why did I leave?" Sophie muttered angrily at herself. "I should never have left him."

"Sophie you couldn't have known this was going to happen." Parker whispered to her. She knew that Sophie was not talking to her, but to herself, that did not mean that she could not try to reassure her. She squeezed the older woman's hand gently as she spoke. "Nate was getting better, even the doctor said so."

"Well he was wrong wasn't he?" Sophie said acidly. "He could die and I wasn't there, I wasn't there for him when he needed me." Sophie said her voice soft and full of anger, remorse and recrimination. "Now I may never get to tell him." She stopped her voice hitching and tears streaming down her face.

Parker was not good at emotions. Her feelings were all over the place right now. She was frightened and bewildered. The knowledge that she may lose Nate was almost more than she could take. Her natural instinct was to run. To run as far away from this hospital and this situation as was possible. To run away from the pain that losing Nate would cause. But looking at the vulnerable woman who sat beside her she knew that she could not run. This was her place, here with her family. If they did lose Nate then they would have to deal with it together, even though that thought scared the life out of her. She had never stayed to face any of this kind of thing. When her brother died she had run, unable to process the terrible loss she had felt. She had run and never went back. That day she had lost more than her brother, she had lost her family too. She had lost herself in many ways. Now she was faced with the same situation. This time though she was determined not to run. She was determined to stay and deal with the loss, if that was the case, with her family. She was determined to be strong. Parker did not try to say anything in response to Sophie. There was nothing she could say. She did not have the words needed, no she thought, there were no words that could help Sophie now. So she sat silently next to the Grifter and held her hand tightly. Sophie would know she was there for her, that she was not alone, even in silence.

Hardison stood to one side talking with Eliot his expression mirroring his inner feelings. He was scared. He had never lost anybody. Even his Nana was still alive. He was too young to remember his parents dying and he was lucky enough to have ended up with a woman that loved him. He was not sure he was able to cope with losing Nate, a man he admired above all else, a man who was the closest thing to a father he had ever had. He sped through the events leading up to the phone call to Eliot, trying to explain everything that had happened, what he had heard and what he had seen. All the time he watched Eliot's face. He saw as Eliot's face darkened as the story progressed that the information he was giving him did not bode well. Oh no, Hardison thought, if Eliot was scared, then this was bad, really bad and Nate could…could die! He let out a slight sob at the thought unable to contain his angst. Eliot was staring over at Sophie as he listened to Hardison, knowing that this was going to be hardest on her. But at the sound from Hardison he turned his eyes back to him, the look on Eliot's face was one of sadness, such great sadness that Hardison's stomach clench. Eliot though Nate was not going to make it.

It was three hours later when the doctor finally made his appearance. Eliot knew immediately that he was not brining good news. Unlike the first time he had come to them after Nate was brought in, he looked uneasy, like a man who was about to deliver terrible news to a distraught family. Sophie saw him and immediately rose and went to meet him, followed by Parker and Hardison. Eliot made sure he was by Sophie's side ready for anything.

"Mrs. Ford…" The doctor said in a tired voice filled with trepidation.

"No…no…" Sophie shouted out as she too read his face and assumed the worst.

"Mrs. Ford your husband is not dead." He told her trying to allay that particular fear but not quite succeeding as Sophie heard the unspoken 'yet' in his voice.

"I am afraid though that the situation is very grave." He continued. He was a doctor and he did not want to give this woman false hope. The chances of Nate Ford surviving were not very good, no the prognosis was basically zero, and it was his duty to make them understand that. "Perhaps it would be better if we all took a seat and then I can explain the situation to you."

Sophie shook her head, she wanted to know now; she needed to know now. Still she felt Eliot pull at her elbow and let him lead her to the seats they had vacated. He remained standing at her side while she and the doctor sat facing each other. Parker and Hardison also remained standing, flanking Sophie and the Doctor.

"Your husband suffered a seizure. Although we are still not sure what the cause was, it could be because of his alcohol addiction and a combination of his withdrawal and the anesthetic. However that was not the main worry. We took him back into surgery because his blood pressure dropped sharply and he became tachycardic, this was an indication that he was going into septic shock." He paused allowing the information to sink in before continuing. "When we opened him up again we found some sepsis and he had started to bleed internally again. This is what caused his blood pressure to drop very low. The septic shock caused him to go into respiratory failure. We managed to repair the additional damage, although we had to do a Splenectomy in order to save him. We also managed to stop the bleeding."

Sophie stared at the doctor not taking her eyes off of him and reading his every facial expression as he spoke. She could tell that he was building up to something, something that he did not want to tell them.

"Mrs. Ford. Your husband is on a respirator to help him breath. He is completely dependent on life support machines in order to keep him alive at this point. I am sorry but the situation is such that." He paused and drew a deep breath. "I am afraid we do not expect him to recover." The doctor said heavily.

Sophie did not respond. She heard what the doctor was saying but did not believe it. Nate was going to die and there was nothing more they could do for him. NO her mind cried out to her. The doctor had been wrong before, and he was wrong again. Nate was a fighter. He would fight. He would fight to come back to her. This man did not know Nate, did not know who he was or how strong he was. He did not know how stubborn Nate could be and even death would not take him if he did not want it too.

"We will continue to monitor his condition, but I am afraid that there may be some hard decisions to be made in the next few days." The doctor said no longer talking to Sophie but to Eliot. Eliot nodded slightly. He knew what the doctor meant. Taking Nate off the machines and ending his suffering. He wondered who Nate's medical proxy was. He assumed that it was Maggie…or maybe it was Sophie. Oh God no, please don't let it be Sophie, because he could not ask her to make that particular decision.

"Can I see him…?" Sophie's soft broken voice cut into his thoughts.

"He is being moved into ICU again." The doctor looked at her and then swung his eyes over the rest of the group gathered around her. The next few days were going to be torture for them and then they were going to have to make the hardest decision of their lives. He made his decision then, it may be against hospital policy but after everything these people had been through, he knew the circumstances leading up to Nate's injuries, they deserved to be together, for as long as it was possible.

"Yes…I will arrange for you all to be allowed to stay with him." He said as he stood and then looked down at Sophie. "I am truly sorry Mrs. Ford." He said, after she gave him no response, not even to look at him, he turned to Eliot. "A nurse will show you to his room as soon as he is out of recovery… Could I have a word Mr. Spencer?" He said indicating that he would like to talk to him in private. Eliot looked down at Sophie but Parker was holding her and Hardison had moved to stand beside her with his hand on her shoulder. He nodded to the doctor and they moved a little away from the group.

"Do you know who Mr. Ford's medical proxy is?" the doctor asked echoing Eliot's previous thoughts. "I only ask because, I am afraid that we will have to make a decision in the next few days. As I said Mr. Spencer, Mr. Ford is not likely to survive. I doubt he will even regain consciousness. I am so sorry."

"I'll find out." Eliot said then turned away from the doctor not wanting to discuss the situation further, not even wanting to think about it right then. At least they'll get to say goodbye he thought. At least she can be with him when it happens. He sighed and then moved to take his place at her side. This was something he could not protect her from, but he could try to support her and when it did happen, he could try to protect her from herself.

**Firstly let me say I am sorry for the delayed posts, my brother was out here visiting from Kenya and he monopolized my time. Thank you all so much for your reviews, I really enjoy reading what you think about the story and the way it is developing. Your kind words inspire me to continue as quickly as I can. Things are not looking very good for Nate right now and it could go either way. I'm just full of cliffhangers this story…**** Please let me know you thoughts on this chapter and your speculation for the ones to come. All comments, criticisms and thoughts are most welcome. **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

They were led into Nate's room. It had been explained to them that he had been placed into a chemical coma in order to allow the machines to do their work. He had a ventilator attached as well as many tubes running into and out of him. The heart monitor beeped monotonously in a steady rhythm. The only other noise in the room was the 'swoosh' of the ventilator as it fed oxygen to him. He had a number of IV's attached to him pumping him full of antibiotics and other medicines, as well as keeping him sedated. He was deathly pale and the only movement was the slight rise and fall of his chest.

Sophie gasped slightly as she entered, but did not hesitate to go straight to his side. Tentatively she put her hand in his not wanting to disturb any of the life giving equipment around him. She reached up with her free hand and placed it on his forehead gently. He was cold to the touch and she had to keep reminding herself that he was alive. Parker and Hardison approached his bed too and stood opposite Sophie. Hardison had Parker firmly wrapped in his arm keeping her tight against him. Eliot took his place at the foot of the bed. The group was silent as the surveyed the state of the Mastermind.

Then Eliot moved, bringing a chair and placing it behind Sophie at Nate's side. He knew she was not going to move, not for the foreseeable future anyway. Eliot placed his hands on her shoulders and eased her down onto the chair. She did not say anything and she did not remove her hand from Nate's. Parker and Hardison watched the scene. Hardison pulled Parker even tighter too him and then led her to the two chairs next to each other at the side of the room. Eliot moved back to his position at the foot of the bed to keep watch over both Nate and Sophie. Silence filled the room, suffocating, deafening silence.

An hour passed, then two. Nothing changed. Eventually Eliot too got himself a chair and took a seat close to the door of the room so that he could, with a sweep of his eyes, see his whole team. Sometime later a nurse came in to change Nate's IV's and check the readings on his machines, noting things in his chart. She did not try to move Sophie, she did not speak to them at all and they did not speak to her. It was as if they were all holding their breaths waiting for Nate to do something.

"Hardison…" Eliot said breaking the deathly silence at last. "Why don't you and Parker go and get us some food.

Hardison looked up at the Hitter almost startled by his voice. He stared at him for a short time and then nodded. He welcomed the excuse to leave the stifling atmosphere in the room. Taking Parkers hand he pulled her up with him. She did not resist but before leaving the room she broke his hold on her and she made her way to where Sophie was still sitting in the same position. She reached out and placed her hand on Sophie's shoulder, not saying anything just squeezing gently. Then she turned back and she and Hardison left in search of food and drink for the team. Eliot waited for them to leave and then taking a deep breath and closing his eyes briefly he walked over to Sophie.

"Sophie…"

"Don't Eliot…just don't." Sophie said quietly her teeth clenched. She knew what Eliot was going to say, was going to ask her to do.

"Sophie, you are his medical proxy."

"That's right, I am and I am not going to do what you and those doctors want me too." Sophie spat at him, not taking her eyes off of Nate.

"Sophie…he's not here anymore." Eliot said quietly.

"Yes he is and don't you dare say he isn't."

"Sophie you need to…"

"What let him go? Is that what you want to say? Well don't waste your breath Eliot because no matter what you say, no matter what they say, I KNOW he is not gone, I can feel him and he is not gone. You know there is a reason he made me his proxy…" She said finally turning to face the Hitter, the look in her eyes taking Eliot's breath away. "Because he knows I would never give up on him, I would never kill him." She said her voice full of accusation.

Eliot decided not to continue the conversation. He was hurt, hurt by Sophie's words and the tone in her voice. Did she really think that Eliot wanted to kill Nate? That he would not do anything in his power to save him. That he did not want to believe Nate was gone. That he wished with all his heart that Nate would just wake up and this would all be over. He turned away from her and went back to his seat. Her eyes followed him there and then she turned back to Nate, squeezing his hand gently as she resumed her vigil. Eliot kept his eyes on her.

When Hardison and Parker returned the tension in the room was palpable and they both knew something had happened. Hardison could guess at what and looked over at Eliot was a mixture of sadness and alarm. Parker on the other hand looked at him with a kind of disbelieve and fear that tore his heart apart. Did they not understand that he was trying to do what was best for Nate too? Did they really want the man to suffer like this? Did they really think that this is what Nate would want? Parker placed the food she was carrying on the table and then walked back over to Sophie. She stood behind her and stared at Nate, her hands resting on Sophie's shoulder. She said nothing. She did not know what to say. She did not trust herself to speak anyway. She knew that Eliot wanted to turn off the life support machines. She knew the doctors wanted that too. She was not sure if that was what they should do, but she knew that she would sit here with Sophie until it was over one way or another. She would be there for her and for Nate until the bitter end.

The next few days were the same routine. Sophie would not leave Nate's side. Eliot could not figure out if it was for the fear that Eliot would get them to turn the machines off while she was gone, or if Nate would simply die on his own when she was not there. They brought her food and things to drink and she did eat and drink, albeit reluctantly, and only because Parker had begged her too. The other three took turns going to the hotel to get cleaned and changed, but none of them were gone for longer than an hour at the most.

On the fifth day the doctor came to speak to them again. This time it turned into a shouting match as Sophie told him that she would never give permission for them to turn off the machines. The doctor tried to explain that Nate was brain dead and that there was no chance of his recovery. Sophie countered with the 'fact' that they were wrong, that Nate would recover and that she was not going to let them kill him. The doctor eventually left in defeat. The confrontation left all of them mentally and physically drained. Eliot wondered to himself how much longer any of them could carry on like this.

A few hours later Hardison and Parker were dozing in their seats. Eliot still kept his vigil of Sophie and Nate. Sophie had laid her head on the bed her hand still firmly wrapped around Nate's. Suddenly Sophie sat bolt upright. Her eyes boring into Nate, she froze and stared down at her hand. She could have sworn she had felt Nate squeeze her hand. But when she looked at him nothing had changed. The rhythm of the heart monitor had not changed. The soft 'swoosh' of the ventilator remained constant.

"Sophie…" Eliot asked seeing the woman sit upright with a startled look on her face.

"He squeezed my hand Eliot…I swear…" She said looking at the Hitter desperate for him to believe her.

"Soph…"

"Eliot, he squeezed my hand…I didn't imagine it!" She said softly but with conviction.

Eliot moved over to the other side of the bed and stood looking at the machines. There was no evidence that there had been any change in his condition. Nothing to indicate that he might be waking up besides Eliot knew he could not, he was still in a medically induced coma there was no way he could be.

"Ok…I'll get the doctor." Eliot said and turned to go and get the nurses to call the doctor.

The doctor arrived a short time afterward and asked what had happened. Sophie told him she had felt Nate squeeze her hand. The doctor looked at her with skepticism and pity. There was no chance that that was true. The man was in a coma and heavily sedated. He decided that he would humor the woman though and told her that if that was true then they should start weaning Nate of the sedation and out of the coma. He knew that this would cause the man pain and probably hasten his death. But that was perhaps a good thing he thought to himself sadly as he turned to go give the nurses their instructions.

Over the next few hours Nate was weaned from the sedation. His heartbeat became more erratic probably due to the pain coming to the surface as the drugs left his system. His breathing was still steady thanks to the ventilation. All of them were waiting anxiously for something to happen…fear and tension permeating the room as the hours dragged on.

"Oh my God Nate…" Sophie suddenly blurted out as she felt his hand twitch in hers his fingers moving spasmodically around her hand.

Instantly all of them were around the bed. Nate's heart monitor started to go into overdrive and his hand moved of its own accord to try to take the ventilator out. His eyes remained closed though and Parker grabbed his hands stopping their desperate attempt while Sophie told him to relax, that it was there to help him and he should not fight the ventilator. After a few minutes Nate calmed again his heart rate dropping and he seemed to visibly relax at Sophie's repeated reassurances. When the doctor entered the room she turned to him triumphantly.

"I told you that you were wrong."

**Oh the drama…I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it. I am so appreciative of all of your reviews…I really like to know what my readers think, so leave your thoughts and comments. Thanks to all of you for taking the time and effort to leave your reviews.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Nate fought his way up and through the thick blackness that surrounded him. It was hard, so very hard to keep going. Pain permeated his body but he kept on. As he rose higher and higher the pain grew worse and the difficulty more. He wanted to give up and just allow himself to sink down again, into the blackness that had held such peace and was pain free. For some reason he could not. He had to keep going, he knew there was a reason, a strong reason that he had to surface from this vortex that had claimed him but he was not sure why. Still he struggled, fighting his way upwards. As he grew closer to the surface he heard distance voices. Light and soft and full of love and angst, he recognized those voices and he fought harder to get to them.

He could feel something in his throat he could not breathe he needed to get it out. Feebly he tried to lift his hand to release himself from the object. As he reached for it he felt his hands being clasped firmly preventing him from his goal. He heard her voice, her sweet, loving, gently voice telling him he should not fight the object that it was there to help. He could not help but relax, she would never do anything to harm him, he knew that, and the panic faded to be replaced with a sense of calm. He wanted to open his eyes and gaze at the woman who spoke to him, but his strength was not there. He was so tired, so very, very tired. He allowed himself to fall again, but this time it was not far and he had no dread in him as the darkness claimed him again.

"I told you that you were wrong." Sophie said triumphantly as the doctor came into the room.

The doctor did not answer her but moved to Nate's side and started checking the readings from the machines. After a few checks he turned towards Sophie.

"You were right Mrs. Ford. He is starting to come out of the coma and he is starting to breathe more on his own too. I will be able to remove the ventilator in a few days. I need to run some tests and I would like to take him for a scan. I don't know how, but this man has turned at deaths door and found his way back. But Mrs. Ford I must warn you that this could be temporary. I also do not know what damage there might have been done, with the loss of blood and the trauma there could be some brain damage."

Sophie listened to the doctor but was not alarmed at his words. She knew he was trying to prepare her for if Nate still did not pull through, or if he did that he would be a changed man, a damaged man. She did not care what he said. She knew in her heart that Nate would come back to her. She heard him say the words brain damage and still she did not flinch. If Nate came back to her changed, she did not care, as long as he came back, she could deal with anything else, anything except him dying.

Once the doctor had left they crowded around his bed. They stood there for a long time waiting, but Nate did not resurface again. Parker smiled happily though, Nate was going to be alright. Nate was going to come back to them. She was not going to lose him. Like Sophie she did not care if he was slightly damaged, he had always been slightly damaged anyway just like she was, just like they all were. Hardison stood by her side also smiling although his smile was tempered by fear. What if Nate was brain damaged. He could deal with it, so could they all but could Nate? Eliot he knew was thinking the same thing. He could see it on his face when he looked at the Hitter. Nate was a thinking man. He made his living off of his brain. If he could not be that man, could he be happy. Would he be happy with just being alive? He was already dealing with so much, could he deal with that as well. Well it was not up to them now. Nate was fighting to come back to them and for now that was enough. They would have to deal with any consequences later.

The next days were long, Nate came in and out of consciousness, never quite making it all the way back to them. They could tell that he was with them though. He opened his eyes and they could see the recognition in them. The ventilator prevented him from saying anything, not that he and Sophie needed words to communicate. The doctor removed the ventilator on the second day. After extensive testing he had declared that he could find no sign of brain damage of any kind. He was incredulous but had to believe what he saw. Nate was healing well; his breathing was strong as was his heart. He had no idea how or why but the man was going to pull through.

On the evening of the day the ventilator was removed Nate woke again. This time he whispered Sophie's name. His voice was hoarse and raw from the lack of fluids, and from the ventilator tube, which he had had in for such a long period. Sophie smiled, tears of happiness flooding her eyes. She held a piece of ice to his lips. He was not allowed to ingest any fluids just yet but she knew his throat must be killing him and his mouth dry. Removing the ice from his lips she replaced them with her own lingering there slightly.

"Oh Nate…" She whispered to him. "I love you so damn much…don't you ever leave me again…never again Nate…promise me."

"I promise." Was his immediate response to her, smiling weakly trying to reassure her as tears spilled from her eyes. "Don't cry…" He said softly lifting his hand to her face. "I love you too my darling."

The other three stood and watched the intimate beautiful moment. They heard her whispered "I love you" and his in reply. Parker's face split into a huge grin. It was about time wasn't it? Eliot and Hardison rolled their eyes but smiles lit up their faces for the first time since this whole terrible ordeal had started. There was still a lot of healing to be done, for all of them, but the healing had started.

As Eliot stood at the foot of the bed watching Sophie and Nate his face darkened slightly. He was not sure how Nate would take the fact that he had advocated ending his life by turning off the machines. He was not sure how Sophie would react to him. During this whole time she had refused to even look at him after their confrontation. Parker and Hardison too behaved differently towards him after that. The family was whole again…but was it still his family too? As he looked on Nate drifted back into sleep. Hardison and Parker decided to go in search of food and disappeared, leaving him and Sophie alone.

"I think I am going to go have a long, hot bath and then get some real sleep." She said slowly then leaned down she kissed Nate and told him she would be back later. Standing again she walked up to Eliot. "Look after him while I'm gone will you Eliot?" She said smiling at the surprised Hitter and kissing him lightly on the cheek.

**Well Nate seems like he is going to be ok and the family will stay together, but how do you think Nate will react to Eliot's actions? Next chapter will be the epilogue. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing the story so far. I am so glad that all of you are enjoying it so much. I look forward to hearing what you think of this chapter too. I love getting all of your reviews please don't stop sending them along.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Nate steadily improved during the following days. The team came and went with Sophie mostly remaining at Nate's side. On the morning of the fourth day Nate was sitting up in his bed and Sophie was giving him all the details of the harrowing events that had taken place. Finally she got to the point where his condition deteriorated and he was placed on life support.

"Yeah...and then Eliot wanted to pull the plug...but Sophie wouldn't let him." Parker said brining a halt to the conversation.

Eliot who was standing in his usual place at the foot of the bed locked eyes with Nate as the Mastermind stared at him after Parker's statement. Eliot was not the kind of man to back down and he did not turn his eyes away.

"Eliot wanted to do what he thought was best for you." Sophie said softly feeling the tension in the room and wanting to negate it. She did not hold what Eliot had said or done against him. All the doctors had been saying that Nate was gone, brain dead, that he would never recover and that he was suffering. She did not blame Eliot for wanting to protect Nate, in his own way, against that suffering.

Still Nate said nothing, nor did Eliot; they just stared at each other, speaking to each other silently. Parker and Hardison held their breaths waiting for to see how Nate would react to the blurted out news Parker had imparted to him. Both the younger team members were still a little cross with Eliot for suggesting they turn off the life support, although both realised that Sophie for some inexplicable reason was alright with it now. They wondered if Nate would be as forgiving. Finally Nate nodded almost imperceptibly at Eliot and a small smile touched the corners of his mouth. Eliot responded with his own silent acknowledgement to Nate.

"So you wanted to pull the plug...? Well I can't blame you I suppose...I mean interrupting your vacation and all, it must have been upsetting." Nate said light heartedly, the moment had passed. Nate knew that Eliot had had his best interests at heart. He knew Eliot would do anything to protect him and that was what he was trying to do.

"Yeah well that's what you get for going off and getting kidnapped, and then beaten half to death." Eliot replied.

"Hey...that wasn't my fault. There are not supposed to be pirates in the Mediterranean...but you know Sophie seems to be a magnet for trouble..."

"You are not blaming this on me MISTER...I wanted to go to Paris or Prague..." Sophie said joining in the banter, the tension eased and the matter settled. They could go back to who they were; a team, a loving family who would do anything for each other.

"Well I was brewing the perfect brew..." Hardison said huffily.

"And I was helping...you can try it when we get back." Parker said happily, although she was still not sure why Nate was alright with what Eliot had tried to do. Eliot had tried to end Nate's life after all. Whatever the reason was though, she was happy to go along with it. They were back to normal, except for the fact that they were all standing around in a hospital, but they were still them. Her family.

Nate screwed his face at the thought of having to taste Hardison's brew. Neither Parker nor Hardison were very good at the art of brewing beer. He knew he would have to face the tasting some time but was not sure if he could handle it right now. He looked at his people, his family and smiled slightly. Then he looked at the woman he loved who sat beside him holding his hand gently and smiling at the now very lively conversation between Eliot and Hardison on the art of brewing beer. Hardison was telling Eliot that he would definitely approve of this brew and Eliot was rolling his eyes exasperatedly.

"So when do we get to go home." Parker asked brining all eyes to Sophie and Nate.

"Well the doctor said he is doing so well..." Sophie gave Nate's hand a squeeze and smiled at him. "That he will discharge him tomorrow." She said happily.

"Great I'll organise tickets..." Hardison said his face lighting up with the prospect of returning home.

"Why don't you make that just for three of you..." Nate said softly. "I believe we still have at least three weeks' vacation time due and I think I owe Sophie some time in her favourite city." Sophie almost squealed in delight at his words, squeezing his hand tightly. "I mean you said you would rather be in Paris didn't you...?" He smiled at her. "Or we could always go back..."

"Don't you even say it Nathan Ford..." Sophie said in alarm at the thought that he would actually want to go back to sea.

The group laughed happily as they continued to banter with each other over what they were going to do with the rest of their vacations and just generally having their fist family light hearted gathering in more time than they cared to imagine. It was not at home, it was not around a dinner table. It was in a French Hospital after one of the most difficult times of their lives, but to them it felt like home.

**THE END...I hope you all enjoyed the story.**

**I have to give a great big THANK YOU to Stella for giving me the inspiration for the story. **

**To all the rest of you thank you all so very much for your support. To Sphinx, Carebear818, Leveragus, Gorgolo Chick, KendraBC, SusieDevereaux, Zee-Zee Magee, huttonfan, february28, JustBecause2012, Scasfra, Tethika, AllAroundThunder and floralisette thank you all for taking the time and effort to review and let me know what you thought about each chapter and to any that I may have left off the list. To all of those who followed or favorited the story thank you to you all. **

**Finally, if any of you would like to give me some ideas as to what you would like to see me write next...I am always open to suggestions **


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